Beauty Pageant Woes
by Caritate
Summary: There are three things Mikan Sakura hates most: Attention,Natsume Hyuuga and... Natsume Hyuuga. Too bad she couldn't avoid any of the three... AU R
1. Introduction

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

**Chapter 1 Introduction**

**-**

"What the-?" a certain raven haired guy said as he rounds a corner running for dear life.

-

"NATSUMEEE-SAMAA!!!!!!"

"WE LOVE YOU!!!!"

He ran as fast as his feet could take him. He was just out to grab a bite to eat and now this. How could an **ordinary** day end up like this? Well, the answer is quite simple….

Natsume Hyuuga is everything but **ordinary**…

He is the heir of the most famous company in the world. He is proclaimed as a prodigy, a genius at practically anything he does. He is the hottest guy and obviously the most wanted, as well, in the country. He is said to have everything; too bad he doesn't have a girlfriend…

----------------------------------o

Natsume takes another quick turn and enters the main building of his father's company. He tells the guards to close the doors and runs to the elevator, knowing that not even a herd of stampeding elephants is a match for his **CRAZY** love struck fan girls.

He reaches the top floor and sighs.

"Glad that's over with," he said nonchalantly. He didn't notice that someone else was in the room he's in.

"What's over?" a man, a little bit taller than he is, said.

"It's nothing." He replied as he looked away.

"Son, you know those girls would leave you alone if you only find a girlf-.." Mr. Hyuuga was suddenly interrupted.

"No. I don't want one so quit insisting." Natsume said. He knew where the conversation was going and that he won't like it, not one bit.

"Oh come on Natsume your dad's right you know. Having a girlfriend isn't that bad." A boy with navy blue eyes said. He was listening to their conversation in the other room.

"Hn. If I wanted a girlfriend, I would have gotten one a long time ago." Natsume said as he left.

"-_sigh- _What am I gonna do with him Ruka?" Mr. Hyuuga asked the blond haired guy who was staring at Natsume's retreating figure.

"Hmmm… If only we could find the perfect girl for him…" his gaze landed on a certain magazine placed on top of Mr. Hyuuga's desk. Mr. Hyuuga also looks at the said magazine and smiles.

"If only…" they grinned at each other. That day, they spent the whole afternoon conspiring in Mr. Hyuuga's office, making telephone calls, pulling some strings and so on.

What was written on the magazine? Well it goes like this…

"_**Search for Next Beauty Queen" a pageant, open to all aspiring teenage girls…**_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

--

Meanwhile…

"Mom! I look fine!" a certain auburn haired girl said impatiently.

"Look dear. I just want you to look perfect. There I'm done. You look beautiful," cried a very happy mother.

"Mom I'm just going to school you know. Sheesh! Must you fix me up everyday?"

"Mikan you look great. -_sigh_- But how come you still don't have a boyfriend?" the older woman said as she frowned.

"Whatever mom I love you! Bye! See ya later." Mikan said as she hurriedly left for school.

-

Mikan walked to school as fast as she could. All eyes were on her. She was really pretty and every where she goes, she gets all the attention. Any girl will love that right? WRONG! Not her anyway. She reached the school gates and found her best friends waiting for her.

"Hi Ana, Nonoko, Hotaru!" She said as she smiled at them.

"Hey Mikan! Looking great as usual!" Nonoko said with a smile.

"I know it's horrible!" Mikan said as she frowned.

"Don't tell me you're gonna make yourself look ugly again Mikan?" Ana said.

---------------------------------------o

Mikan Sakura, age 16. She has killer looks and is smart, warmhearted and talented. Any guy she looks at instantly falls madly in love with her; if not, they just drool to their hearts content, too bad she doesn't want that to happen. Every morning, after her mom fixes her up, she goes to her school but not before making herself look like a nerd. No one actually knows how pretty she is except her mother and her best friends.

------------------------o

She quickly messed up the hair that her mom tied up neatly for her. (She'll fix them again once she gets home) She tied it into two messy braided ponytails. She took out large circular eyeglasses (not even real glasses) that concealed her beautiful hazel eyes. She wore removable retainer to hide her perfect teeth. She placed fake skin over her cheeks to make her flawless skin look tarnished and freckled. She fixed her uniform too neatly making her nerd transformation complete. She also acts clumsy instead of being her graceful self. She didn't need to hide her intelligence because it helps her with her disguise.

"How do I look?" She said as she twirled in front of her friends.

"Like a nerd" Ana and Nonoko said as they frowned. "How are you gonna have a boyfriend like that?" They sighed.

"They are right Mikan, Why do you keep pretending to be ugly anyway? It's not like you don't look ugly enough even without that disguise." Hotaru said impassively though she really didn't want to see her best friend like this.

"I don't like it when people act all nice to me because they think I'm pretty. I want people to be honest with me. AND I DON"T WANT A BOYFRIEND!" she said.

'_Idiot, you're not being honest to yourself.'_ Hotaru thought.

-

The school bell rang and they went to their class….

_**To be continued…**_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	2. Plan Commence!

**Disclaimer:** I never claimed it as mine!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

**Chapter 2 Plan Commence!**

**-**

The three lovely girls with their not-so-lovely friend walked along the corridors. Boys stared at them with awe but turned away whenever they saw the socially inept brunette. We can't actually say she's unpopular, in fact, almost everyone knew her. Well, not really, but they did know it was wise to stay away from her. Being with her could kill their social lives. Mikan liked it better this way. She could tell who her real friends were.

-

"Mou, Mikan you are really very pretty… You're wasting everything you have. You've been like this ever since you transferred at this school," Ana said as she and Nonoko pouted.

"There's no use convincing the idiot. Don't waste your breath on her," Hotaru said. _'We don't need words we need action.' _She then started to think deeply.

"Guys, don't worry about it too much. It's nothing." Mikan said as she smiled showing off her retainers.

-_sigh-_ The two girls sighed in defeat. _'You're wasting your smiles too'_ both the girls thought.

"You could at least get a boyfriend Mikan. You know… someone to be there for you, to protect you. You are always getting picked on ever since we transferred here. I know you're a black belt and all but still it doesn't hurt if you have someone to take care of you." Nonoko said.

"Yeah Mikan, you're probably the only girl in class who's never had one. What's with you and guys anyway? ... Oh" Ana said as her eyes grew wide. "Don't tell me…"

"Tell you what?" Mikan asked.

"A-are you a L-Lesbian?" Ana asked nervously.

-

Mikan smiled sweetly. "No." She replied calmly. She could feel her veins twitching.

3…

-

2……

-

1………

-

…

"ARE YOU MAD ANA? HOW COULD YOU SUSPECT ME OF BEING A LESBIAN? WE'RE BESTFRIENDS! WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE GOD KNOWS WHEN. DID YOU THINK I WAS HITTING ON YOU?!!!" Mikan said while strangling Ana.

-

"Calm down Mikan. Ana was just kidding" Nonoko said as she sweat dropped. "Why don't you want a boy friend anyway?"

"I told you before I don't need one. Boys are just trouble. Besides, Hotaru hasn't had a boyfriend too." Mikan said as she dropped Ana on the ground, leaving her unconscious, and continued walking.

"I'm dating someone." Hotaru said nonchalantly.

"REALLY?" Mikan and Nonoko asked as their eyes widened. They didn't think that Hotaru would even talk to guy let alone date one.

"I'll introduce him when I get the chance. For the meantime, don't try to change the topic Mikan. This is about you pretending to be something beneath yourself. You've been like this ever since we've transferred here." Hotaru said with a serious tone.

"You know the reason why I transferred was to make a new start. I'm tired of so many people pretending to be my friend." Mikan said.

"Yeah and we followed you here cause we're best friends and the four of us always stick together. You know it worries us to see you like this." Ana said when she finally regained consciousness and caught up with them.

"_-sigh- _ If it would make you guys feel better why don't we go shopping tomorrow." Mikan said.

Ana and Nonoko looked at each other. "How will that make us feel better?"

Mikan stopped walking. "Simple. I'm going as myself. NO costumes. NO disguises just us four. Happy?"

"Really? That would be great!" Ana and Nonoko squealed in excitement. Hotaru looked unaffected but inside she really looked forward to it.

-

They stopped walking when they reached the room. They opened the doors and went in.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the nerd squad or should I say the G4. What have you guys been doing lately? Busy being geeks? Where's your mascot? Oh there she is! The little braniac Sakura" one of their classmates said. (G4 stands for geeky 4. They are all really smart)

"Back OFF Koizumi." Ana said while Hotaru was giving the girl one of her death glares.

---------------------------------------o

Luna Koizumi, 17 yrs. old, is the most popular girl in the school. She has shoulder-length blue hair and a nasty attitude. She's also pretty but not as pretty as Mikan. She's not that intelligent although she is quite a good schemer. Hotaru, Ana, and Nonoko are the next most popular students to Luna. She doesn't like competition so she always finds things to destroy their reputations. Since the four of them, including Mikan, are the smartest students in school, Luna would always tease them about that. She always picks on Mikan to annoy her friends.

-------------------------------o

"Now, now we should all calm down now. No need for unnecessary squabbles." Yuu Tobita said. He was the class president so he had to keep peace and order.

"Hn. You're only saying that coz' little miss geeky here is your girlfriend." Luna said referring to Nonoko.

"Don't you drag Yuu into this." Nonoko said defensively.

"Not my fault he was getting in my way. And I suppose you don't want your little Koko to be involved too." She said mockingly to Ana.

"Ms. Koizumi, if you don't stop picking fights with the other students, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to report you to the teachers." Yuu said while adjusting his glasses.

"Whatever. You see this?" She said while holding up a magazine.

"Yeah. It's a magazine. Do you want us to read it for you? It's ok, you know. The teachers told us to help mentally challenged students. If you want we could teach you the alphabet first." Hotaru said in a bored tone.

"Hn. I can read you know. I want you to look at the cover. Pretty soon, I'll be winning this and the next time you see my pretty face, it'll be on national television." She said gloatingly.

"We didn't know that the animal network was shown nationwide." Hotaru said nonchalantly. By now we could see steam coming out of Luna's head.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU...BLAH BLAH...!!!!" Luna kept on babbling incoherent nonsense.

Hotaru wasn't paying attention at all to what Luna was saying. Her thoughts drifted to the message written on the glossy publication.

'_Beauty pageant huh?'_ Hotaru thought as a small smile escaped her lips.

This however did not go unnoticed by her classmates.

"Hotaru what are you smiling about?" asked a confused Mikan.

"Yeah. What **are** you smiling about? Don't tell me you are planning on joining this pageant?" Luna said mockingly as she looked at Hotaru meticulously, examining her from head to toe. "You don't stand a chance! I'm gonna win this for sure. I've won quite a lot of pageants, you know. How many have you won?"

Before Mikan and the others could think of a comeback, their teacher entered the room. They proceeded to their seats.

Mikan whispered to Hotaru. "Are you really gonna join Hotaru?" Hotaru just grinned at her. Mikan felt nervous as she gulped. Hotaru **NEVER** grins unless it involves SCHEMING. _'I won't but someone I know will.'_ she thought as she looked at Mikan.

They took their seats and the classes started. After class, they decided to go home early to prepare for tomorrow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

Hyuuga Corporation, Main Building:

"Excellent. I've already agreed to sponsor the pageant. To make Natsume less suspicious, you are also going to be a judge." A man in a black suit said.

"When are we gonna tell him about this?" asked a boy with blond hair and deep blue eyes.

"We'll tell him after the selection of contestants. He might reject them all and we might end up with no one to compete in the pageant. We have to select a variety of girls since we don't know which of them he might like." The man said.

"I think you're right Mr. Hyuuga. I'll personally see to it that the girls who pass the elimination are the finest among the rest." The boy said as he left.

'_I hope this works'_ they both thought.

-------------------------------o

Ruka Nogi, age 17, best friend of Natsume Hyuuga. Their fathers are business partners. He loves animals and has a kind and loving nature. He feels sorry for his best friend because he would always seem alone and lonely even when they were little. His father would always be too busy for him. Ruka was always there for Natsume but since he started dating someone, he fears that Natsume might end up feeling alone again that's why he wants to find the perfect girl for him.

------------------o

At a café across the Hyuuga Corporation's main building…

-

A certain raven haired girl was patiently waiting for someone while sipping her tea. The door opened and a blond haired guy went in. He made his way to the table where the girl was.

"You're late, Ruka." The girl said nonchalantly as she put down her tea cup.

"Sorry Hotaru. I was busy doing something. You look great in that dress by the way," Ruka said as he blushed a little.

"Oh, what may that be?" Hotaru said impassively, as she raised an eye brow, totally ignoring the compliment given to her.

Ruka took out a magazine from his jacket. "I've been busy organizing this."

Hotaru looked at the magazine with interest. It was the same magazine that Luna had been showing off. Ruka saw how she was eyeing the magazine.

"Are you interested in joining?" Ruka asked.

"No." Hotaru said calmly.

"Good. You might actually win." Ruka said, relieved. Hotaru got confused with Ruka's reaction. What's wrong with her winning the contest? Ruka sensed the girl's uncertainty.

"Remember what I've told you about my best friend Natsume and how I want to find the perfect girl for him? Well, this is sort of the best I could come up with." Ruka explained.

"So you're hoping that he falls in love with one of the contestants." _'Interesting'_ Hotaru smiled inwardly at the thought.

"That's the plan. It's not gonna be easy though, Natsume is hard to read. We don't know what type of girl he likes." Ruka said.

"Tell me, when and where will the selection of contestants be?" Hotaru asked.

"Well, that depends. The pageant is nationwide after all. For this region the selection will be held at Central Mall tomorrow. I thought you weren't gonna join." Ruka said. (Central mall is the biggest mall in their area.)

"I'm not. I have a friend who will." She said as she finally finished drinking her tea.

They said good bye to each other as Hotaru left. She took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Mrs. Sakura…" Hotaru talked on the phone while smiling inwardly. Tomorrow will definitely be an interesting day…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	3. Joining the Pageant

**I'm really sorry for not updating that fast. Please don't kill me…**

**Disclaimer:** Not mine… Not ever…. (must I write this every time?)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**Beauty  
is  
only  
skin deep**_

**Chapter 3 Joining the Pageant**

**-**

**A phone conversation:**

"Yup, that's right."

"_Really now? Ok… What would you need?"_

"Well, according to the pageant guidelines there will be more than one elimination phase. The first one will be the review of application forms and credentials. We'll need a record of Mikan's activities from our current school and previous school as well. There will be thousands if not hundreds of thousands to submit their applications. Even so, I'm sure she'll pass this part no problem."

"_Ok. I'll go prepare them then. Do you think she'll agree to join?"_

"I don't think so. That's why we'll keep it as a secret."

"_Understood. Do you need a picture of her with the files you've asked for?"_

"Not really. In fact, they don't accept pictures seeing as they can be easily edited. Once the applicants pass the first screening, they'll immediately arrange a second one for the judges to personally meet the contestants."

"_Oh, I see. I'll have the files ready by tomorrow then."_

"Thank you Mrs. Sakura."

"_No. Thank you. Bye then…"_

"Goodbye"

**End of conversation**

**-**

The sun shone above the Sakura's humble abode. They may not be that wealthy but they were pretty well-off. They also had servants but not that many.

Mikan was lying peacefully on her bed. She was always like this. She enjoyed sleeping a lot. The loudest alarm clock wouldn't be able to wake her up. That girl could sleep through a storm.

"Mikan dear, you're still asleep? Your friends are already downstairs waiting for you. Better get up and get ready." Mrs. Sakura said.

"Hmmm… Hotaru?" Mikan murmured still half asleep.

"Let me handle this Mrs. Sakura." Hotaru said as she took out some kind of battery from her bag. She attached some wires on it and connected it on Mikan's alarm clock. She set Mikan's alarm clock and waited for it to go off.

"What are you gonna do with that Hotaru?" Mrs. Sakura asked. "Alarm clocks don't work on that girl. She sleeps like a log. Besides, she'll just push the snooze button."

Hotaru just gave Mrs. Sakura a knowing grin. It was barely visible but the glint in her eyes was enough to say that she was definitely up to something.

The alarm clock started ringing. The brunette tossed and turned around her bed.

"Hmm…" Mikan muttered as she tried to reach the snooze button of the alarm. The moment her hand touched the clock, her eyes shot open and her hair started to rise. She started shaking uncontrollably and immediately withdrew her hand. She looked at her surroundings and blinked.

"She's awake. You're a genius Hotaru. What exactly did you do?" Mrs. Sakura wondered.

"I electrocuted her." Hotaru replied listlessly.

"YOU WHAT???" Mikan finally snapped out of her trance.

"Whatever. Get ready. Ana and Nonoko are already waiting for us downstairs."

"O-ok"

Mikan got ready. She wore casual clothes and let her hair down. She went downstairs and greeted Ana and Nonoko. She proceeded to the dining hall and decided to have breakfast first. She left her friends with her Mother at the living room.

"Here are the files you've requested. Do you need anything else?"

"No. Thank you, Mrs. Sakura. This will be all."

"I was wondering Hotaru, How will you convince her to join?" Ana asked.

"Don't worry about that. I'll make sure she won't refuse." Hotaru said.

"How's that?" Nonoko wondered as she saw Hotaru smirk. Nothing good comes when Hotaru smirks.

"We'll figure it out later. I'm sure there will be an opportunity for us to convince her, if not, **force her** to do so." Hotaru said.

Mikan finished her breakfast. She and her friends bid there farewells and proceeded to central mall.

-

-

Meanwhile at Central Mall…

-

At a stall inside Central Mall a lot of girls are lined up submitting their applications forms. Inside the stall two people are having a special meeting.

"I didn't think that this many girls would submit their forms." Mr. Hyuuga said.

"I think rumors that the winner gets to be Natsume's girlfriend have spread." Ruka said.

"How could that have happened? And that's not entirely true. We're not even sure if Natsume would like any of them."

"Well, his fan girls just assumed the whole thing. It is kinda odd for a business corporation to suddenly sponsor a pageant."

"You have a point. Where is Natsume anyway?"

"He's also here and I think he knows about the pageant."

"Does he know that he's one of the judges?"

"Nope, not yet. He's beginning to have suspicions though. He's pretty sharp when it comes to these things."

"Good. He'll find out in due time. For the meantime, why don't you keep him busy and distract him."

"Huh? Don't I have to review the forms and stuff? Who will select the candidates then?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Including you and Natsume, there are five judges all in all. You'll meet them soon enough. They will be the ones to review the forms. Now go look for Natsume."

"Ok Mr. Hyuuga."

-

-

"Wow! Central Mall sure is huge." Mikan said as she looked at everything with awe.

"It's not like it's the first time we've been here. Stop drooling will you?" Hotaru said as she watched the brunette clinging on her arm.

"I wasn't drooling. Hmph."

"Whatever."

The four girls were being stared at wherever they went. Mikan wasn't wearing her disguise so she was pretty much the center of attention with her sunny smile and all. Mikan didn't mind it though. She was there to have fun with her friends and nothing else mattered. They came across the long line of girls submitting their forms to enter the pageant.

"Wow, this must be the pageant Luna was talking about." Mikan said as she looked at the line.

Hotaru signaled Ana and Nonoko that it was time for the first part of their plan to be initiated.

"Hey Mikan, Let's go over there to the… uhm… comfort room. Please." Nonoko said as Ana nodded.

"Ok. If you really have to go, let's go then." Mikan said.

"I'll stay here then. I'm just gonna wait for you guys to finish." Hotaru stated.

"Huh? But w-" Mikan was interrupted when Ana and Nonoko dragged her away.

Hotaru made her way towards the line. She was just in time to see Ruka exiting the stall. He was wearing a cap and some sunglasses as a disguise so that his fan girls don't notice him. She was able to recognize him right away.

"Ruka" Hotaru called monotonously.

"H-hotaru? What are you doing here?" he said.

"Here. I told you that a friend of mine was gonna join, remember?" She said as she handed Ruka a brown envelope. She didn't want to fall in line.

"Oh, yeah right. Hey, are you busy right now?" he asked as he took the envelope.

"Yeah. I'm busy right now. I'm with my friends."

"Oh ok. I was gonna look for Natsume anyway."

"He's here?"

"Yeah. But it's kinda hard to find him since he's also wearing a disguise. I'm gonna submit this now. See ya." Ruka said as he went back to the stall.

'_Interesting… Hyuuga's here huh.'_ Hotaru thought.

-

Hotaru made her way towards Mikan and the others. They went to various stores to shop for all sorts of stuff. They went to the hardware store to help Hotaru look for tools she uses for her inventions. They moved to the culinary section to buy Ana some spices and utensils. They also got their own choices of books when they proceeded to the bookstore. The four best friends were having the time of their lives. They literally shopped till they dropped. The only thing that stopped them from their shopping spree was the sound of their stomachs grumbling. With all the excitement they forgot to eat lunch.

They slowly made their way to the food court. A lot of people were there so they had difficulty in finding seats. They found an empty table but unfortunately it didn't have any chairs. They placed their shopping bags on the table and started looking. While searching, something or rather someone caught Hotaru's attention. It was a guy wearing a hood and sun glasses. He seems odd because he doesn't seem to be blind. He was reading manga.

'_This must be Ruka's best friend. They have the same bizarre taste for clothing.'_ Hotaru thought as she remembered Ruka's get-up. She knew it was Natsume Hyuuga underneath the hood. Ruka did say he was also wearing a disguise. Plus, who else could afford all those branded clothing?

As she remembered the things that Ruka told her about Natsume, she couldn't help but grin a little. This must be the opportunity she's been waiting for. She smirked at Ana and Nonoko indicating that it was now time to commence another part of their developing plan. The two just nodded meaning they would go along.

"Hey, Mikan." Hotaru started. Mikan who was busy looking for chairs turned her attention towards the schemer. "Remember the game we used to play when we were little, the one with the challenge?"

"Oh, I remember that. That's the one where we declare some kind of task that we must all carry out." Mikan said as she looked at the ceiling trying to remember the rest of the game.

"Right. And the one who fails…" Nonoko said as her eyes grew wide. She finally understood a part of Hotaru's plot.

"Has to do what the others tell them to as punishment." Ana continued, grinning widely.

"Let's play." Hotaru said with a smirk.

-

"What's the task then?" Mikan asked. She was anticipating something hard since Hotaru was smirking.

"Simple, we get a chair." Hotaru stated.

"Huh?" The three girls wondered.

"That's about it. We just get ourselves a chair. There's a catch though." Hotaru could feel herself smiling inwardly.

"What?" Mikan asked.

"You don't get to decide who to get the chair from. That's for the other players to decide. Shall we play then?" Hotaru said.

"O-ok" the three girls said a bit unsure.

They decided that Ana should go first.

"You can use any method to get the chair." Hotaru said.

"Ok then. Who's my 'victim'?" Ana asked excitedly.

The group huddled and decided who Ana should get a chair from.

"Ok get that guy to give you his chair." Nonoko said as she pointed to some random guy who seems to be engrossed in playing with his cellphone.

"Him? Easy," Ana said confidently as she made her way towards the guy.

Mikan and the others just observed her from afar. Mikan rubbed her eyes to see if she was hallucinating. The guy almost instantly gave her his chair. He looked like he was asking for her cellphone number and she just gave it away without second thoughts. Ana winked at the guy and he instantly fainted. She was now heading back to the table while dragging the chair with her. Nonoko shook her head in disbelief.

"NO WAY! Did you just give your cell phone number to some random guy?" Nonoko said.

Ana just smirked and said. "Nope. I gave him Koko's number. Looks like I'm finish with the challenge. Your turn Nonoko."

Again the group huddled. This time they were careful in choosing the next person. They made sure it was someone who wouldn't give in that easily.

"Ok Nonoko. It's your turn to get a chair," Ana said.

The person assigned to Nonoko was an old woman who obviously wouldn't succumb to flirting.

"Ooh, That will be tough Nonoko." Mikan said excitedly.

"Hmm… Not really." Nonoko took out some bandages and wrapped it on her right leg. She took out some crutches that she got earlier form shopping. She started limping her way towards the woman's table. Almost instantly, the woman gobbled all her food so she could finish her meal and give the chair to Nonoko. Nonoko began limping her way back with the chair being carried by the woman for her. When the woman had finally gone…

"I can't believe you did that Nonoko. That was kinda mean." Mikan said as she pouted.

"Sorry Mikan but there's no way I'd wanna loose this game." Nonoko said.

True enough the consequences of loosing are dire for Hotaru was the one to probably give the consequence unless she lost which was very unlikely to happen. The group huddled to decide who Hotaru was gonna get her chair from.

"Ok Hotaru we've decided that you have to get a chair from that guy." Mikan said as she pointed towards a middle aged man who looked like a fugitive. Surely Hotaru would have a tough time with him right? WRONG…

She made her way to the table and KINDLY asked for the chair. The man just smiled maliciously at her. She just rolled her eyes and took out the device she used earlier on Mikan. In an instant, the man fell back on his chair, unconscious. She had just electrocuted him. She shoved him off the chair, ignoring the stares she got, and made her way towards the group. The three girls had their jaws hanging open. They were flabbergasted. They knew she was evil, they just didn't know the extent.

"Your turn Mikan," Hotaru smirked.

Mikan gulped and nodded. Hotaru pointed at the hooded guy two tables across their own. Ana and Nonoko were befuddled with Hotaru's choice. How could she just choose some random guy? He'll give Mikan his chair even if she doesn't ask right? What kind of guy in his right mind wouldn't? They are yet to know that **the** Natsume Hyuuga isn't just some guy.

Mikan made her way towards the guy. She knew Hotaru was up to something. What could it be?

"Uhm… E-" She stopped abruptly as the guy glared at her. She gulped and continued. "Excuse me sir. Can I please have your chair?" She didn't think he would mind since he was obviously done eating.

Natsume studied her carefully. She was pretty cute. Cute or not she was still annoying and he never really liked girls. They were all the same. If he wasn't wearing his disguise she would probably fling herself unto him. It was a typical situation. He diverted his gaze back to the manga he was reading and decided to ignore the girl.

"Uhm… Can I please have your seat?" Mikan asked in an ever so sweet tone that would have melted any other guy besides the one she's talking to.

"Hn." He shrugged as if not hearing anything.

"Hello?"

"…"

"Mr?"

"…"

"Hello? You could at least notice me here? You could say 'no' you know?" Mikan said as she pouted ever so cutely.

For some reason, Natsume enjoyed seeing the girl get so annoyed. He wondered just how far her patience is. He purposely tipped the glass at the edge of his table causing some juice to spill on her. She gasped as he smirked at her reaction. She was now fuming with rage. Natsume amusedly watched her at the corner of his eyes. He was planning on removing his disguise to let her see his face. He was so sure that she would automatically forget about the whole incident and fall head over heels for him. She would probably buy him a new drink to replace the one that he spilled. He could even picture her apologizing hundreds of times for disturbing him. Yup, he frowned upon the thought but it was the only way to save him from her rage. If he only knew how wrong he was this time…

He removed his 'disguise' and looked intently at her.

As expected, she calmed down.

'_Typical fangirl. Tsk.'_ He thought disappointedly. He knew this was coming. He wasn't a genius for nothing.

As expected, she bowed her head and apologized.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you sir. Let me get you a new drink." She said as she smiled.

He almost blushed as he saw her smile but he was able to control himself. It was a shame she was just another fan girl. He watched her buy a drink from the nearest stall. She made her way back still wearing her lovely smile. She bought two large drinks. He rolled his eyes at her. He knew this was gonna happen. It was so predictable… then again… We are talking about Mikan Sakura here.

"Here you go sir." She said with her veins twitching in annoyance. That's when Natsume figured out he was wrong a little too late. Natsume's eyes widened. She took the lid off the drinks and poured it all on him. She huffed and made her way back to Hotaru and the others. She was definitely not a fan girl. She didn't even seem to know who he was. One thing is for sure though, she was definitely interesting.

'_Strawberry juice'_ he thought as he licked some from his lips and gazed at her retreating figure.

-

Back at Hotaru's table…

-

"I guess you loose Mikan" Hotaru said as she sipped her tea calmly. She knew she would fail. She was watching the whole thing amusedly.

"Yeah. Let's just get this over with. What do you want me to do?" Mikan said, still irritated.

"We want you to …" Ana started.

"...Join the beauty pageant." Nonoko added.

Mikan who was drinking her juice almost choked at the suggestion. "YOU WHAT?"

"You heard them." Hotaru stated while taking another sip.

"B-b-but" Mikan tried to think of an excuse.

"No buts. You lost. Don't tell me you're backing down? Well you can't. Be a sport and accept your punishment." Hotaru said with a smirk.

"Fine." Mikan pouted irritably. A smirk soon found its way on her lips as she thought of something. "I'll join on one condition."

Her condition didn't really matter anymore. What's important is that she agreed to join. Hotaru sipped her tea. Ana and Nonoko held their glasses in the air in triumph.

"What's the condition then?"

"I'll join as…." Mikan smirked. "**Nerd girl**"

Ana and Nonoko spat their juices out as they fought the urge to choke. Hotaru dropped her tea cup with her mouth slightly hanging open. Mikan smirked more at their reactions.

-

-

_**To be continued…**_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	4. Meet the Judges

**Disclaimer:** I'm not claiming it…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**-**

**Chapter 4 Meet the Judges**

-

"So we have a deal then?" Mikan was enjoying watching her friends loose their composure. "I'll be joining that pageant only if I get to be 'nerd girl'."

Ana and Nonoko were still choking on their drinks. Hotaru was the first to regain her calmness.

"You're in no position to impose conditions seeing as you're the one who lost." Hotaru said as she wiped tea she spilled off the table.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you agreed to it." Mikan said still smirking.

"_-cough- -cough-_ That's unfair Mikan you're not allowed to do that" Ana said as she patted Nonoko's back. "And we never agreed to it. We merely asked you what the condition was."

"Hmm… You're right I shouldn't go on giving conditions like that seeing as I lost fair and square. I'd do what you say without a condition." Mikan said pretending to surrender.

Hotaru, however, was not convinced. "You'd go as yourself then?"

"No." Mikan replied flatly.

Ana and Nonoko's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "But you said you'd do as we say without any conditions. Be a sport Mikan."

Mikan just smiled at them. "I** am** gonna do what you told me to do."

"What are you implying Mikan?" Hotaru asked. She noticed that Mikan was up to something.

"Well…" Mikan started.

"Well…? What?" her friends were definitely getting irritated.

"Well, you told to join the pageant right?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow at her. "I **am **joining but I'm joining as 'nerd girl'. It's not a condition because I'm merely informing you, not asking for your permission. I think it's still fair and it's not against any rule because you're the one who failed to be specific with my punishment. You told me to join but you never said anything about how I was gonna be put through to it"

"That's not fair," Ana whined.

"It is. You just think it's not fair. I am still gonna be subjected to your choice of punishment." Mikan looked at them with a confident smirk on her face. "It's just that it won't be the way you imagined me to do it."

'_What are you up to Mikan?'_ Hotaru looked at Mikan. She knew it would be useless to argue. After all, Mikan had a point. They were too confident in their plan that they didn't think that there would be a downside once they finally convince her to join. They had obviously underestimated her.

"You know, you could still change my punishment but it has to be unrelated to the pageant if you change it." Mikan said as she glanced at Hotaru. "Why don't you guys talk about it while I go get some food?"

Mikan stood up and left the table with a satisfied smile. She knew Hotaru was up to something, ever since the time they saw the magazine Luna was showing off. It was a good thing she thought quickly. She thought of a counter plan so her friends won't get their way. Even if they get her to join the pageant it would be futile. Mikan smiled inwardly. She just hopes her friends don't suspect her.

-

-

Ruka arrived at the food court. He was still looking for Natsume. He shifted his gaze to all the diners until he finally found what he was looking for. He approached the table only to find his best friend soaking wet.

"Natsume? What happened to you?" Ruka asked worriedly.

"Nothing" Natsume said uninterestedly. He was observing Mikan and her friends.

"What's that smell? Strawberries? I didn't know you preferred fruity scents for perfume." Ruka teased as he sat down. He also removed his 'disguise' seeing as they can't be noticed because of all the people.

Natsume shifted his attention to Ruka. "I don't. It's juice."

"What? No way? Who did that to you?" Ruka asked.

"She did." Natsume said while gazing at Mikan. She just left her table to get some food but before she could get to any stall she has to pass by Natsume's table.

"No way! There's no possible way that a girl would spill juice on you on purpose." Ruka said unbelievingly.

"She didn't spill it on me" Natsume said, still eyeing the approaching figure. "She poured it."

-

'_Great. Just great. I have to pass that guy's table again.'_ The smile that Mikan had was replaced with a scowl when she saw Natsume. _'Just ignore him Mikan. You can do it.'_

She increased her pace as she neared his table. _'Only a few more steps and… What the?'_

Mikan was almost in the clear when someone grabbed a hold of her wrist and held her back.

"Where do you think you're going little girl?" Mikan turned around only to find Natsume gazing intensely at her. She almost cringed when she saw how serious his eyes looked but decided to keep her head high.

"Duh, this is a food court so I'm probably off to eat." Mikan said as she looked at Natsume's soaked figure. She smirked, "If you want I could get you more juice, my treat."

Natsume's face remained emotionless. Ruka was just watching the two who were right in front of him. He was curious about the girl. _'This girl… I've never seen a girl who acts this way around Natsume. She's pretty cute though.'_ He blushed at the thought.

"What's your name?" Natsume asked.

"And why should I tell anyone as rude as you my name?" Mikan said irritably. The guy still won't let go of her wrist. If there weren't that many people, she would have unleashed different forms of self defense on him.

Natsume was getting impatient; he's not used to people not listening to him. They always look up to him and treat him with respect. People always do as he says even without him saying anything at all.

Ruka watched his best friend amusedly. Natsume never had trouble with girls before. (except escaping his fan girls, maybe) He wondered if the girl even knew who Natsume was.

"Miss, pardon me but…" Mikan directed her gaze at Ruka. She hadn't noticed him before. He looked kind enough and he seemed more polite so she listened to what he had to say. "Do you by any chance, know who we are?"

"Hmmm? I'm sorry sir but I don't think I've seen you anywhere before." Mikan said as she smiled at Ruka who, of course, blushed. "But I have met this extremely **rude** person sitting in front of you." Mikan glared at Natsume.

Ruka was surprised to hear that the girl has no idea on who they were.

"Natsume Hyuuga" Natsume said, still not releasing her wrist.

"Huh?" Mikan looked at him confusedly.

"That's his name miss. Now do you know who he is?" Ruka thought that maybe she just has some kind of vision impairment that's why she didn't recognize Natsume. He was so sure that Mikan would finally realize who she was arguing with.

Mikan just shook her head and shrugged. What can she do? She really doesn't know the guy, never heard of him even. She struggled to get her wrist free. Natsume amusedly watch her futile attempt to get free of his hold. He tightened his grip to annoy her more. She's definitely not leaving until she answers his question.

"What do you want from me?" She said. She was getting more irritated by the second.

"Tell me your name." Natsume said calmly.

"LISTEN HERE YOU… WHOEVER YOU ARE…" She was definitely mad. People began staring at the scene.

"I told you my name, didn't I?" Natsume told her listlessly.

"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE, NATSUME HYUUGA BUT I-" the moment Natsume's name was mentioned; all heads were snapped to their direction. Mikan felt awkward. _'What are they staring at?'_

'_Uh-oh'_ Ruka thought as he felt the ground tremble slightly.

Natsume's eyes widened. They were definitely in trouble again. Mikan saw this and used it as an opportunity to free her wrist.

"We better leave Natsume." Ruka said as Natsume nodded. In only a few seconds, Natsume and Ruka's fan girls were already making their way toward their direction. Natsume gave a last glance at Mikan before running off with Ruka. Mikan was left there befuddled as she held her wrist. _'What was that all about?'_

_-_

Back at Hotaru's table…

-

Hotaru, Ana and Nonoko were watching Mikan the whole time.

"Whoa, don't tell me that you actually knew that the guy with the hood was **the** Natsume Hyuuga?" Ana directed the question towards Hotaru who merely nodded in response.

"I knew she wouldn't be able to complete her task and she'd lose the game." Hotaru said calmly.

"Too bad our plan went down the drains. Why'd she want to join as a nerd anyway?" Ana asked no one in particular.

"She's been really fond of dressing up us 'nerd girl' ever since we transferred." Nonoko said.

"You can't blame her. If '_that_' happened to me, I'd probably do worse." Ana said sadly, as she looked at Mikan who was buying some food. She remembered an incident that happened in their former school. "_That_'s probably the same reason why she wants to join as 'nerd girl'"

Hotaru shook her head. "'_That_' maybe the reason why she goes to school dressing as a nerd but it's definitely not the reason she's joining the pageant in the same way."

"What do you mean Hotaru?" Nonoko asked.

'_She's trying to outwit us.'_ Hotaru finally realized what Mikan was trying to do.

"Think about it. If she enters the pageant as 'nerd girl' chances of her passing the elimination are minimal." Hotaru stated.

"I get it," Ana said as she hit her palm with one of her fist.

"Even if she joins, she'll just get eliminated." Realization dawned on the three girls.

"It's as simple as this: if she joins as 'nerd girl' it would be as good as not joining at all which she would prefer." Hotaru concluded.

"What do we do now Hotaru?" Ana waited anxiously for Hotaru's reply.

Hotaru was deep in thought. All she needed was for Mikan to pass the elimination phase. She had to think of a way to get her through even if she were to join with her disguise. This turned out to be a battle of wits between the two friends.

-

Mikan made her way back to their table with a tray of food on hand.

"So have you guys decided on a new punishment?"

"Nope. You're joining that pageant." Hotaru said.

"Fine. But I'm still joining as 'nerd girl'." Mikan said as she pouted.

"Do as you wish." Hotaru said.

Mikan looked at her best friend and smiled. _'So you found out huh. Sorry Hotaru but there's no way I'm joining that pageant.'_

Hotaru looked back. _'You'll be joining whether you like it or not. I know what you're planning Mikan. I won't let you be eliminated'_

"Fine, but if I get eliminated, promise not to make anymore silly plans behind my back." Mikan said as she sat down.

"Ok but if you don't get eliminated; you'll have to go on with the pageant. You don't have to remove your disguise because I know you wouldn't. I want you to be yourself though." Hotaru said.

"Huh? I don't get it Hotaru. How can Mikan be herself with her disguise on?" Ana asked confusedly.

"I think what Hotaru meant was for Mikan not to change her personality. Like for example, answering the questions honestly and doing her best at the talent portion and stuff like that." Nonoko explained.

"Fine" Mikan answered. _'I'm sure I won't make it pass the elimination anyway'_

They ate their lunch in silence. They decided to call it a day for now. The results of the preliminary selection of contestants would be out by next week. If Mikan gets selected, she'll have to meet the judges.

------------------------------------------

-

"Ruka, I'm going home now." Natsume said while panting.

"Ok Natsume." Ruka said.

They were finally able to get rid of their horrid fan girls. Ruka and Natsume bid farewell to each other and parted ways. Ruka made his way towards the stall where the application forms for the pageant were being submitted.

"Mr. Hyuuga you're still here?" Ruka entered the said stall.

"Oh Ruka, I was waiting for you. Where's Natsume?" Mr. Hyuuga asked.

"He went home already. What were you waiting for me for?"

"I'm going to introduce the judges to you. We've set a pretty high standard to make the selection easier." Mr. Hyuuga said as he directed Ruka towards a door.

"What's this room?" Ruka wondered.

"This is where the initial selection of candidates will take place. The other judges are already inside." Mr. Hyuuga said as they entered. Inside, four people were already waiting for them. The room was huge. It was like a conference hall used for holding meetings. It had a large table stacked with piles of papers. There were twenty chairs around the table but most of them contained more paper.

"What's with all those papers?" Ruka asked.

"Those were the forms that were submitted for this area. The other forms will be delivered soon so you guys better get started." Mr. Hyuuga said to the judges. "By the way, Ruka I want you to meet the other judges. You may already now some of them because they all work for our company."

Ruka looked at the four people in front of him. Of course he knows all of them. Almost all of them work for the company.

-------------------------------------------

Judge 1

The first was a man in his mid-20's. He had blond hair and purple eyes. He is one of the executive directors of the Hyuuga Corporation. He insisted himself that he wants to be a judge. He knows the hidden reason behind the pageant and he thinks he has an idea on what Natsume would like in a girl. Mr. Hyuuga didn't think that it would be such a bad idea since he was always his uhm... er... most fashionable executive.

Judge 2

The second one was a man who seems to be in his early 30's. He has a strict and professional look which is probably why he is one of the corporation's top administrators. He is so serious in his work that Mr. Hyuuga thought it would be best for him to have some time for relaxation. He really has no eye for beauty but there's more to beauty than appearances. Mr. Hyuuga believes that having him as a judge would ensure that the winner was not only beautiful, but also smart and civilized. This judge seems to be fond of frogs as he always wears a frog pin.

Judge 3

The third and final judge is a mysterious looking young man clad in an all black outfit. He is Mr. Hyuuga's most loyal adviser. Natsume has an utter dislike for this person. He is sometimes Natsume's personal tutor. He teaches him variedly from business techniques to simple academics. He is to ensure that the next heir of the company won't be a disappointment, according to him. Mr. Hyuuga thinks that it would be great to have him as a judge seeing as he knows a lot about Natsume.

Judge 4/ temporary judge only/ Main host of the Pageant

A young man with russet hair and purple eyes, he is a famous singer and has a lot of experience with these types of events. He is the main host for the pageant but will also help in reviewing the application forms.

(Can you guess who these people are?)

-------------------------

"You guys better get started before the forms from the other regions arrive." Mr. Hyuuga said as he left the five.

"Yes sir" They all said.

The five judges took their seats and began reading the piles of paper on the table. They were pretty much used to those sorts off things since their jobs involve a lot of paper (From paper work to signing autographs). Each of them had a trashcan beside their seats. They didn't need to review the forms thoroughly. They automatically selected the best in terms of the following: academics, extracurricular activities, talents, organizations joined, contributions to society, hobbies and interests, conduct, and so on. The judges had a long week a head of them. Out of hundreds of thousands of forms they were only to leave a few hundreds. They would then meet those left and finally select twenty contestants.

-

Judges P.O.V.

-

"Hmm… A lot of girls which ones to pick." Judge1 said.

"A lot of these girls are cheerleaders aren't they?" Judge4 noticed.

"Uhm… Hey you haven't selected any of the forms yet. How come? Don't tell me none of them pasts your standards?" Judge1 said to judge3.

Judge3 merely shrugged his shoulders.

Ruka walked over to the other judges. He saw that they weren't having trouble selecting at all. They would just scan the forms and it would end up either in the trashcan or back at the table. If one judge dislikes the form it is automatically thrown away but if it is accepted it still needs to be reviewed by the other judges.

"So far we've reviewed over a thousand forms." Ruka said.

"How many have we accepted then?" Judge1 anxiously asked.

"One" Judge2 replied flatly.

"Luna Koizumi has won more than one prestigious pageant. It says here at she is also the most popular student in her school. Averagely intelligent and extremely talented." Judge4 read one of the forms aloud. "Is she qualified?"

"I guess there are no objections then." Judge2 said as he took the paper and placed it in the pile (if there was one) were the accepted forms were placed.

"Here's a good one. This should pass all of the criteria." Judge1 said happily. "Mikan Sakura, top student of her former and current school. Voted most popular in her previous school, she also received the titles sunniest smile, queen of the dance, best in…" He continued. "She's also a black belt at numerous types of self defense. Her certificates are authentic so I guess we don't have to double check."

All the judges were satisfied with Mikan's record. They can't wait to meet her and the other girls who will be lucky enough (at this rate if there will be any more) to pass the first elimination. Next week their interview would be held. It will definitely be interesting…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	5. Initial Screening

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Disclaimer:** The last time I've checked this still doesn't belong to me…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

**Chapter 5a Initial Screening**

-

**At the judges conference hall, Central Mall…**

-

The judges had been reviewing forms nonstop for five days consecutively. Only a _few _forms were left and they were finally done. Ruka looked out through one of the windows. The final _truck_, which delivered the last of the forms, has finally arrived. He sighed. They have reviewed hundreds of thousands of forms and yet they have barely selected a hundred candidates. What did he expect? The judges were too corporate and they had such high standards.

'_Oh well, at least we won't have that much difficulty during the first screening. We have less to choose from and it seems that these guys know exactly what they're looking for.'_ Ruka thought as he glanced at the other judges who were still reviewing the forms. '_I just hope at this rate we will actually be able to select contestants for the pageant. If this is how it's been going on right now then I wonder what will happen when Natsume finds out. We will probably end up with no one to join.' _He chuckled at the thought.

"Persona you've been throwing every piece of paper you've gotten your hands on. Don't tell me you haven't found one that passes your standards." The blond haired man said.

"Yeah. You've been rejecting what we've selected too. At this rate we won't even pass a hundred." The man with russet hair continued.

The man in question merely shrugged his shoulders. "I have accepted a few, haven't I?"

"I guess so. Other than the Sakura girl and a few others, these girls are quite ordinary." The russet haired man said. "What do you think Mr. Jinno?"

"I think Persona is doing the right thing. It would definitely make our job easier if we have fewer girls to meet during the first screening." Mr. Jinno said while straightening his tie. "How many have we accepted Narumi?"

"We've accepted about seventy." Mr. Narumi replied. "And here I thought we were supposed to accept a few hundreds. How many forms are left Reo?"

"Only a few. Hey kid, what are you staring at out there?" Reo asked as he noticed Ruka by the window.

"Oh, nothing. The final truck has arrived." Ruka said as he diverted his gaze from the truck to the other judges.

"Another truck?"

"I think it's the last one." They were all relieved by this.

-

-

The day quickly went by and they were finally able to finish reviewing the forms. They were only able to accept a few more forms from the truck full that arrived.

"So how many did we accept?" Mr. Narumi asked excitedly as he waited for Ruka to finish sorting them from the most qualified to the least. Mikan's form was, of course, on top of the pile.

"Let's see. That's about seventy-five. We only managed to accept seventy-five girls" Ruka said.

"That's great. That means we can finish the screening in one day, plus, we'll be able to examine each girl carefully." Mr. Narumi said cheerfully as everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'll go submit the results now. We'll pay for the biggest ad in the newspaper. We'll reserve the television ads for when we have the final twenty." Mr. Jinno said.

"I'll go prepare the letters we'll be sending to the soon-to-be candidates." Mr. Narumi said.

"Ok then. See you guys." Reo said as he waved his hand to gesture farewell.

The rest of the judges left, only Ruka stayed behind. Mr. Hyuuga told him that it would be best if he was the one to tell Natsume about the pageant. He drew out a huge sigh and took out his cell phone. He dialed Natsume's number and…

"Hello Natsume?"

'_Ruka. What is it?'_

"Uhm… Are you busy today?"

'_No. Why?'_

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering if you could meet me at Central Mall today. I just need to tell you something."

'_What is it about?' _

"I'll tell you when you get here ok. Bye, I gotta go." He said as he hung up. _-sigh-'This is gonna be a long day'_

_-_

o------------------------------------------------------------o

"Brother who were you talking to?" a girl with raven hair asked.

"I was talking to Ruka. I'll go meet him today." He glanced at his sister. "What's up Aoi? Something's bothering you." Natsume said listlessly though worry was evident in his tone.

"Nothing. It's just that it's been four months already and I still haven't found the girl who saved my life. I really want to thank her and make sure she's alright. If only I didn't loose consciousness I would have had the chance to find her." Aoi said. "I hope she's alright."

"You worry too much. I'm sure wherever she is she's doing fine." Natsume said as he prepared to leave.

"I do hope so." Aoi said.

o----------------------------------------o

-

-

Natsume arrived at Central Mall wearing his sunglasses and a cap as a disguise. He met up with Ruka inside a fancy café. They took a table for two in an area which can be covered with curtains. The area was developed for private conversations. They ordered some beverages and two cheesecakes. They couldn't stand the waitress being around for even with their disguises on she could tell they were hot and she wouldn't stop flirting with them. When they were completely sure she was gone, they finally began their conversation.

"Tsk. Another fan girl." Natsume said as he rolled his eyes.

Ruka chuckled at his best friend's reaction. "Really Natsume? Can you blame her for being drawn to you?"

"Me? She was practically drooling over you." Natsume retorted coolly.

"Yeah and I can talk to animals." Ruka said sarcastically.

"With the time you've been spending at the zoo, you might as well be able to do so." Natsume said still unfazed.

"Whatever Natsume. I'm just saying that it's not the girls' fault they can't resist you. It's ironic how you can have any girl you like and yet you still can't find one that interests you." Ruka took a bite out of his cake and continued. "Oh yeah, there was that girl from the food court. What was her name again?"

"Who?" Natsume said whilst pretending not to know who Ruka was referring to. He took his fork and also began eating his cake.

"Right… You weren't even able to find out who the girl was. Don't tell me you don't remember Natsume. I mean how could you possibly forget her? She 'poured' her juice on you. If you ask me, I'd say you actually want to meet her again." Ruka said.

"Tsk, whatever. Tell me, what were you going to say to me?" Natsume knowingly changed their topic.

"Oh yeah." _'This is it Ruka. You can do it. He'll say yes because luckily he doesn't know what we're planning'_ Ruka took a deep breath to prepare himself. Natsume found his best friend's behavior strange.

"This is about the pageant isn't it?" Natsume said casually. Ruka was taking a long time in 'preparing' his speech.

Ruka gulped. "H-how did you know?"

Natsume shrugged his shoulder. "I just do. Tell me Ruka, what is my dad up to?" Natsume stared at Ruka intently awaiting his answer.

"W-what do you m-mean?" Ruka said while trying to look away. _'Uh-oh looks like his on to us'_

"You know what I mean." Natsume said, still directing his unwavering gaze at Ruka.

"Look he's not up to something. The company just needs some publicity so he decided to sponsor a pageant. He wants you to be a judge" Ruka started. Natsume just kept looking straight at him indicating that he was listening. "H-he thinks that since you're popular, you'll be garnering much attention and our company will be getting the attention it needs."

Natsume merely raised a brow in a quizzical manner and said, "Isn't the company famous enough?"

"Uhm… yeah but a little more fame didn't hurt anyone right?" Ruka said. Frankly, he was running out of excuses. "I'll be judging too. We'll be in it together. Come on Natsume it might be fun."

Natsume shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. I won't be able to talk my way out of it anyway. If my father wants me to judge this pageant then so be it. Just don't expect me to treat any of those girls nicely."

"Thanks Natsume." Ruka was relieved. "You'll be there at the initial screening then?"

Natsume nodded and resumed eating his cake.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

The Next Day…

-

"Mom, must we go through this everyday?" Mikan said. She was feeling a bit guilty of having to ruin the way her mom fixes her up every morning.

"Yes dear. It's our way of spending time with each other." Mrs. Sakura said while combing Mikan's hair. She already knows that Mikan goes to school dressing up as a nerd but pretends she still doesn't. After all, what kind of mother would she be if she didn't know these things about her daughter? She's probably just waiting for a moment for Mikan to open up to her. "There, I'm done. You look great."

"Yeah, thanks mom." Mikan said as she gave her mother a hug. "I'm going now. Bye, love you."

"Love you too dear. Take care," Mrs. Sakura said as she waved her hand.

Before completely leaving their house, Mikan noticed that they had some mail in the mailbox. She decided to check them first. She was surprised to find a letter addressed to her. She hurriedly went to school and decided to open the letter later. She already had a hunch on what the letter was about. She made a stop at a corner and decided to put on her 'disguise'.

She reached the school gates and found her best friends waiting for her.

"Hi guys! Ready to go to class together?" Mikan asked excitedly.

"We've been ready for about half an hour already." Hotaru said impassively. "Let's go."

-

They made their way to the class room and found their classmates making a fuss over something.

"Hey Yuu, what's going on?" Nonoko asked. Before Yuu could answer they heard an irritating voice from the center of the crowd.

"Oh is the G4 here already?" Luna said mockingly as she gestured for the surrounding crowd to give way for her.

"What did I tell ya? Didn't I say I'll be sure to win this? Ha! Lookie here for yourselves." Luna said haughtily as she pointed at her name printed in bold letters at the back of the daily newspaper. Mikan and her friends, however, did not pay heed to any of what Luna was saying. They were looking for something else in the newspaper. When Luna noticed them being quiet, she assumed they were just marveled by her achievement.

"Don't worry guys. Once I pass the initial screening you'll be able to see me in national television. Of course knowing me, I'll pass it no problem." She said as she giggled to herself. Some of her admirers started cheering for her.

"Congratulations." Hotaru remarked stoically.

"No need to congratulate me Imai. I already foresaw this coming." Luna said thinking that Hotaru was disappointed because she didn't pass the elimination. "Too bad you didn't make it. You wanted to join right?"

"I wasn't congratulating you." Hotaru said.

"Yeah, she was referring to Mikan." Ana said happily.

"Congratulations Mikan." Nonoko said as she hugged Mikan.

"Sure guys." Mikan said. _'Better let them be happy for me now coz' there ain't no way that I'll pass the initial screening'_

The class who was listening to their conversation had their jaws hanging open. They didn't know of Mikan's background from her former school so they never thought she even stood a chance.

"Your mascot did what?!" Luna said as she grabbed the newspaper from Hotaru. She scanned each letter of Mikan's name. She rubbed her eyes thinking she was just hallucinating. "I-it could be another Mikan Sakura. Your name is pretty common, you know?" She desperately tried to justify the illogical situation. The class had the same thoughts as her.

"Idiot. Can't you see the address? Don't tell me you think there could be two Mikan Sakura's living in the same house?" Hotaru said nonchalantly.

"B-bu-but… she… you… I…" Luna didn't know what to think. She kept on mumbling incoherent words.

"You're not the only one good enough to join a pageant Luna. We all knew our Mikan could pass that elimination." Nonoko said as Ana nodded.

"She probably got lucky. I bet she won't be able to pass the initial screening." Luna said. She paused as she looked at Mikan meticulously. "You know the part where the judges actually get to** see** her." She then giggled mischievously.

"Whatever Luna." Ana said. "We'll just see tomorrow, won't we?"

Their teacher arrived and they took their proper seats. Luna kept on glaring at Mikan. Mikan didn't mind. She wasn't really taking matters seriously. For all she knows, she's already off the pageant. If only she knew better…

-

Classes ended and they decided to go walk home together.

"I'm so excited for you Mikan." Ana said with stars in her eyes.

"Hm? Oh yeah sure." Mikan said. She wasn't really paying attention. "Oh I forgot about the letter."

"What letter?" Nonoko asked.

"This one." Mikan said as she took out the letter from her pocket.

"Open it then." Ana said excitedly.

Mikan opened the letter. The four girls started reading the message printed on the fancy paper used. It goes as follows:

_**-**_

_**To Ms. Mikan Sakura:**_

_**Greetings and salutations! We have received and reviewed your application form regarding the **_"_**Search for Next Beauty Queen" pageant sponsored by the Hyuuga Corporation. It has come to our attention that among the thousands of applicants, you are one of the most eligible young ladies fit to enter a pageant of such prestige.**_

_**The pageant does not mostly associate the term beauty to physical attributes **__**only**__**; rather it focuses on all aspects of one's self that could be considered beautiful. The said pageant aims to promote inner beauty. It also aims to find talent and intellect among the candidates chosen. We are informing you this so as you will not commit the mistake of relying on one attribute that you think makes you beautiful; be it your talent or looks.**_

_**The judges of the said pageant would like to meet you tomorrow at Central Mall. The exact time cannot be specified but the screening will be held as soon as the mall opens. The order by which you will meet the judges is still undecided. Failure to attend would mean immediate disqualification. **_

_**-Pageant Administration**_

_**P.S. **_

_**The initial screening would be like a personal interview with the judges. They might ask you to perform some talent or ask you random questions to test your wits. **__**Expect **__**their tests to be **__**unexpected.**__** The rule of the screening is simple. The judges vote if you're in or out. There will be six judges (five plus the main host) tomorrow. If the number of judges that favors you exceeds the number of judges that don't, it means you've passed the screening. If ever the number of votes for favor and disfavor become equal, the judges might ask you to perform random tasks until they arrive at an accord. After all seventy five candidates are screened and the judges failed to come up with only twenty candidates, you shall be called upon again for a second screening held at the same day.**_

-

'_So this pageant is sponsored by the Hyuuga Corporation huh? Wonder where I've heard of that word before?' _Mikan thought.

"Mikan you better be prepared for tomorrow. Wear something decent." Hotaru said. _'I won't let you get eliminated'_

"Ok Hotaru." Mikan said as she smiled at her best friend. _'We'll see…'_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day (The day of the initial screening)…

-

Today would be the day that will determine whether or not Mikan would be able to enter the pageant or not. She's pretty confident that she won't pass the screening anyway so she's pretty calm. However, she can't shake the feeling that Hotaru won't let her have her way that easily.

She left the house early that morning to meet up with her friends at Central Mall. Hotaru told her to wear something decent so she did. She wore something a little too decent. She wore her school uniform, the one from her previous school. She still hasn't worn her 'disguise' yet. She still had her waist-length hair loose and she plans on 'fixing' it inside the mall. (Her current school uniform is just a plain long sleeve blouse with a ribbon at the collar that matches its blue skirt. Her old school uniform looks like the High School uniform for Gakuen Alice)

She arrived at the mall only to be gawked at by passers-by. She casually walked pass them and turned to look for her friends.

"What took you so long?" Hotaru gazed at what Mikan was wearing. "Why are you wearing that?"

"Sorry Hotaru. I guess I overslept. I wanted to make 'nerd girl' more believable so I decided to wear this." Mikan said. "So when will it be my turn?" She eyed the long line of girls queued in front of a stall. Most weren't really candidates they were just there in hopes of catching even a glimpse of either Natsume and/or Ruka.

"Well since you're the last to arrive..." Ana grabbed Mikan's hand.

"You'll also be the last to be screened." Nonoko grabbed her other hand.

"We are so excited for you Mikan" They both said in unison. Mikan sweat dropped. _'If I didn't know any better, I'd say they're twins.'_

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and prepare yourself." Hotaru said. "It will take a long time before it's your turn but you should get ready anyway."

"Ok Hotaru. I'll go to the restroom then." Mikan said as she left Hotaru, Ana, and Nonoko in a bench near the stall. They didn't exactly need to fall in line since the contestant's numbers were flashed on a giant screen in front of the stall. The numbering was based on a first-come-first-served system. Since Mikan was last, her number is seventy five.

Hotaru glanced at the screen, it flashed the number eight. She's been observing the candidates going in and out the stall. Only one contestant was allowed to enter at a time and they were allowed to bring their some of their friends for support. That was good news for her. She'd be able to do something if anything goes wrong. Hotaru also noticed that the intervals at which the candidates enter and exit vary. Some take long like an hour while others take no time at all. She assumed that the judges only pay attention to those that catch their interest. Hotaru gazed at the screen again, this time it flashed the number ten.

-

Judges Room…

-

The room was rearranged in such a way that the table was moved to one side of the room while the six (including Reo the main host) judges sit behind it. The candidate would present herself at the center, ready to be interviewed and screened. Mr. Hyuuga gave the five judges (excluding Natsume) an explicit order to automatically accept any girl that peaks Natsume's interests- though she still has to pass the standards. The judges where seated as follows: Natsume was at the far left of the table followed by Ruka, Persona, Jinno, Reo, and Narumi respectively.

"So you are candidate number ten, right?" Narumi asked.

The girl just nodded and flashed a smile at Natsume and Ruka. Natsume just rolled his eyes and continued reading his Manga.

Each judge was allowed to ask the candidate a question to help in the decision making.

"Ok tell us something about yourself and show us a little of what you can do." Reo told the girl. She signaled her companions who were busy drooling over Natsume and Ruka to turn on the boom box they had brought. It started to play some offbeat music.

"Hi my name is ..." she introduced herself. "This dance is dedicated to Natsume" She said as she winked at him. (She was wearing a black mini skirt with a matching sleeveless jacket worn over a white long sleeve shirt topped with a red neck tie. She also wore knee high boots and a beret.)

She began dancing to the rhythm in a very flirtatious way. Her companions served as background dancers. She walked seductively to the judges who seem to be unfazed with what she's doing. She sat at the part of the table where Natsume was. Natsume was paying no attention to her at all. The girl whipped off her neck tie and wrapped it around Natsume's neck. This seemed to catch his attention because he was now staring at the girl who was still moving to the beat. The girl smiled and winked at him again.

'_Bad move lady'_ Ruka thought as he shook his head.

Natsume remained impassive. He gently put down his manga. He took a glass of water and poured its content on the girl. The girl who was taken aback fell of the table and landed on the ground.

"Could somebody put a leash on her?" Natsume said as he listlessly continued reading his manga.

-

_To be continued…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-


	6. What is up with 'that'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo********This means start of flashback.**

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx********This means end of flashback.**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Disclaimer:** The last time I've checked this still doesn't belong to me…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

**Chapter 5b What's up with **_**'THAT'**_

-

At the rest room where Mikan was…

-

Mikan stared at herself at the mirror. She made sure that no one else was there for her to put on her 'disguise'. She looked at herself wearing her old school uniform,

'_It's been three months since I've transferred. I wonder how my old friends are doing.'_ She frowned at the thought. _'Oh yeah, they weren't really my friends, were they?'_

_-_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**flashback**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

-

Mikan had always been the most popular girl in school. Everyone wants to be her. Everyone wanted to be her friend and being the simple minded girl that she was, she befriended everyone. Besides Hotaru, Ana, and Nonoko, she had other close friends.

-

Classes have just ended and Mikan was on her way to meet Hotaru when a girl called out for her.

"Hey Mikan!" a girl with black hair and blue eyes said.

"Hey, Yumi. What's up?" Mikan said as she turned around to face Yumi.

"You are coming to my party, right? Please…We are best friends after all. With you there, the party's bound to be a hit." Yumi said excitedly.

"Yeah sure. I'll be there." Mikan said with a smile as she continued walking.

When Mikan has finally gone…

"I can't believe you invited her." A girl with blue hair and green eyes said.

"Of course I'll invite hair. She is my best friend after all. Plus, the party won't be a success without her." Yumi faced the girl. "What's up with you? You're her best friend too Faye."

"Tsk. Like I want to be friends with her. If she wasn't the perfect little miss goodie-good-girl she is, I'd be the most popular girl in school and Yuri would be in love with me instead." Faye said grudgingly.

"Then why do you keep hanging out with her then?" Yumi asked.

"The same reason as you…" Faye walked together with Yumi. "If her popularity plummets I'll be glad to drop the best friend 'act'."

"You're mean Faye." Yumi commented.

"Whatever. As if you won't do the same thing."

"Hm… I don't know yet. It's fun being her friend you know and besides her popularity will never plummet. She is Mikan Sakura after all."

"Whatever."

-

-

Mikan was waiting by the school gates. She was surprised when someone grabbed her from behind and covered her eyes.

"Hey! Who's there?" She said as she struggled to break free.

"Make a guess."

'_I know that voice.' _"Yuri is that you?" Mikan asked anxiously.

"Hey there." A boy with black hair and green eyes said. "What have you been doing lately?" He said as he let go of Mikan.

"I'm waiting for Hotaru." Mikan said. "What are you doing here anyway?" She beamed.

"I was wondering if I could tell you something." Yuri said as he blushed.

"Huh? Tell me then." Mikan was wondering why her friend was acting strange.

"You promise you won't laugh." Yuri was serious but his face was flushed.

"O-ok"

"Mikan…" He started. "I-I… you see… I…"

"You what?"

He took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with you. Would you go out with me? I know you're fan club is probably gonna kill me but I don't care."

Mikan stared at Yuri. Sure a lot of guys have been confessing to her but she never really thought about having a boy friend until now. Yuri is one of her best friends (She has six.) and she really likes him a lot. He is the most popular guy in her school and it would be a dream come true for any girl to be his girl friend.

"I-I d-don't kn-…" She was flustered her heart was beating rapidly.

"You don't have to answer me now. I'll let you think about it first. See you tomorrow then. Bye." Yuri said as he waved his hand and left hurriedly. He wasn't prepared to be rejected yet.

Mikan looked at his retreating figure. "Should I say yes to him?" she thought out loud.

"Should you say yes to what?" a voice came from behind her.

"Oh Hotaru, Ana, Nonoko you're here." Mikan said as she hugged them, Hotaru evaded her of course. "Let's go eat. I'm starving." _'Maybe I'll tell them later.' _

The four girls left and went to a café to grab a bite to eat. They chose to sit at a table outside so they'll be able to enjoy the breeze. Mikan watched the people crossing the streets hoping to take her mind of Yuri for a while. _'He loves me? What's that suppose to mean? I love him too. We are best friends after all. Could he have meant something else?'_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**flashbackend**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

-

Mikan tied her hair in two braided pigtails as finishing touches for her 'look'. She really is confident with her plan but she knew Hotaru too well to be completely relieved. All this time she has been showing a calm and composed behavior towards the initial screening but now that the gravity of her situation has finally sank in her simple mind, she could help but feel 'a little' jumpy. It took a while but the pressure of the minimal possibility of her passing the screening is slowly getting the better of her.

She paced frantically inside the restroom. _'I know I'll get eliminated but this is Hotaru I'm talking about. She always gets her ways…'_ She gulped. _'…no matter what it takes' _She shivered at the thought.

"Mikan are you done dressing up as 'nerd girl' yet? Hotaru sent me here to see what's taking you so long. She thought that you might have flushed yourself down the toilet or something." Ana said as she entered the rest room. She sweat dropped when she saw Mikan panicking a little. _'Same old Mikan… Still gets late reactions'_

"I'm done. I'll be right there in a minute." Mikan said. _'I mustn't let Hotaru see me like this… She'll just use my anxiety against me…'_

Mikan and Ana went to where Hotaru and Nonoko were.

"Took you long enough." Hotaru said.

They all took a seat and began waiting for Mikan's turn. The giant screen flashed the number twenty.

-

Judges' Room…

-

"Yes, introduce yourself please." Reo said.

The girl who had hearts in her eyes nodded. "Sumire Shouda, president of the Official Natsume and Ruka International fan club." She flashed them an official I.D.

Natsume wasn't paying attention to her at all.

"Wow. Natsume you have an official fan club." Narumi said as he clapped excitedly.

"Tell us Ms. Shouda what talents do you have?" Mr. Jinno asked.

"Tell you? I'll be glad to show you sir." Sumire took out her violin case. She opened it and she positioned the violin on her shoulders. She closed her eyes. _'This is for you Natsume'_ she began playing Antonio Vivaldi's masterpiece 'Four Seasons'. Since she was only doing a demo, she only played the 'winter' piece. She finished playing and took one elegant bow before the judges.

"Very well played. She passes my standards." Mr. Jinno said.

"She's got my vote too." Mr. Narumi said. "How about you guys?"

"Hmm? The violin's kinda ancient." Reo said. "But I guess she played it well."

"I guess she passes. What do you think Natsume?" It was against his better judgement since she was a big fan girl, but he was kind enough to accept her.

"Out" This has been Natsume's reply to all the candidates.

"How about you Persona?" Mr. Narumi asked. Persona just shook his head. Like Natsume, he hasn't found a single girl that stirs his interests.

"Four votes say you're in. Two votes say you're out. Congratulations Miss Shouda. You are the first candidate to pass the Initial screening. We'll call on you later if there will be a second screening so please stay for a while." Mr. Narumi said as he directed Sumire to another part of the stall where the chosen candidates are to wait.

--------------------------------------------------

-

"Hotaru this is taking too long. I'm bored" Mikan whined. Her boredom overpowering her anxiety.

"This is your fault. If you weren't late we would have been done by now." Hotaru reasoned. "Just sit there and keep yourself busy."

"Fine." Mikan said as she pouted.

She glanced at the café across the stall. It was the same branch as the café where she and her friends ate when she had an accident.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**flashback**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

-

"Mikan something bothering you?" Ana asked worriedly. "You've been staring at the stoplight for minutes now. You haven't even touched your food."

"Hm? Oh it's nothing guys." Mikan said.

"Idiot. Just tell us already." Hotaru asked. She was concerned though she had a good way of hiding it.

"I-it's nothing really." Mikan stammered. She was turning bright red. Hotaru noticed it and smirked. "It's Yuri, isn't it?" Mikan became redder.

Ana and Nonoko squealed in delight. "We knew it! He finally confessed, didn't he?

"H-how did you guys know?" Mikan wondered. She was blushing twice as hard.

"The whole school could tell he likes you. You seem to be the only one who couldn't notice." Hotaru stated.

"Oh."

"So?"

"So what?"

"What are you gonna tell him?"

"I-ah… I…" Mikan could feel her heart beating rapidly. She couldn't look at her friends because she was too embarrassed to talk about it with them. She diverted her gaze elsewhere so she could think straight. She glanced at the stoplight and noticed that the red light was on. She looked at the people who were crossing the street. She noticed a beautiful girl about her age that had raven hair. She also noticed a little street child with grey hair and ragged clothes. He looked like he was three. Her gaze then drifted towards a speeding truck. It was very unusual to travel at that speed especially when the stoplight was red. She squinted her eyes to get a better view and saw that the driver was asleep.

"Mikan? Earth to Mikan? What are you looking at anyway?" Nonoko asked as she waved and snapped her fingers.

Mikan's eyes widened. The truck was not decelerating. It was gonna run over the pedestrians. Without hesitating, she stood from her seat and hurriedly ran towards the two. She startled her friends by her actions.

"Mikan?"

"WATCH OUT!" The two pedestrians stopped in their tracks to look at her.

Everyone was shocked at what happened next. Mikan pushed the two out of harm's way just in time. The older girl accidentally hit the lamppost and lost consciousness. The three-year old landed safely.

The truck driver managed to wake up at the last second and pulled the breaks. This, however, only prevented the truck from completely running over Mikan. In a last attempt to save herself, she stretched her arms forward and received the impact of the truck. She was sent hurling towards the ground. Her head had hit the cold pavement and the next thing she saw was pure darkness. Her friends stood there, shocked evident in their faces. If Hotaru didn't act fast as she did and called an ambulance, Mikan would have lost her life. Her head injury was causing her to loose a lot of blood. She was rushed to the emergency room immediately.

-

"Mikan… Mikan… wake up. Please wake up"

-

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**flashbackend**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

-

"Hey Mikan wake up!" Ana tapped Mikan's head. She had fallen asleep with her head lying on one of Nonoko's shoulders.

"Hm? Is it my turn yet?" Mikan stretched her hands and rubbed her eyes.

"Idiot. How could you sleep at a time like this?" Hotaru said nonchalantly.

Mikan glanced at the screen. It flashed the number thirty eight. She then looked at the girls who were exiting the stall. She noticed that most of them were soaking wet. _'I wonder why?'_

-

Judges' Room…

-

"Koizumi, Luna. A pleasure to meet you all." Luna said as she curtsied.

"So Miss Luna you have won a lot of pageants?" Reo asked.

Luna just nodded but she was eying Natsume all the time. Natsume glanced at her and then looked at his now-empty glass of water. _'Tsk. Great, I'm out of water.'_ Mr. Narumi refused to refill his glass since he wasn't even drinking it at all. He would pour it on the candidates whenever they get **too close**. (Hehe… that's his only means of defense since I deprived them of their Alice)

"There would be no need to perform you're talent. The certificates that you brought are enough proof that you're worthy to join." Mr. Jinno said.

"Oh, thank you sir. I guess I could demonstrate my ballet dance some other time." She said as she winked at Natsume.

Ruka just watched his best friend amusedly.

"And now for the votes." Mr. Narumi said. The results were the same as before. Only Natsume and Persona rejected her. Ruka had to accept because if he didn't there would be no one left for the pageant. He doesn't like fan girls too but he had no choice if the fan girls were qualified. "Congratulations Miss Koizumi. Please proceed to this room."

-

-

-

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**flashback**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

-

"Mikan?"

Mikan opened her eyes and found herself inside a hospital room.

"What happened?" She touched her head and noticed that her whole head was covered with bandages. Only her eyes weren't covered.

"You got hit by a truck." Hotaru said calmly.

"Mikan we were so worried about you. We visit you everyday. You're finally awake." Ana said as tears threaten to fall from her eyes.

"How long was I out?" Mikan asked, her vision still a bit hazy.

"Three weeks." Hotaru replied.

"Oh." Mikan was still feeling a little light headed. "What happened to the-"

"They're fine. The girl fainted but she recovered quickly. The boy didn't even have a scratch. " Hotaru looked at her with a hard expression on her face. "Next time, don't be so reckless. Please try to consider saving you own life too." Hotaru stood up and left the room.

"Hotaru?" Mikan was wondering why Hotaru was being unreasonably cold to her.

"Oh Mikan. Hotaru was so worried about you. We all were. Please promise us not to do something like that again." Nonoko pleaded.

"Ok guys. Don't worry. I'm fine now." Mikan said as she hugged her friends. "Where are Yumi and Faye?" _'Where's Yuri?'_

Ana and Nonoko looked at each other. "Well… Never mind them Mikan. You should rest first." They faked a smile and left the room.

They didn't want to tell her about Yumi and Faye. Faye was actually glad about what had happened to her. She was disappointed that Mikan didn't die in the accident. With Mikan away, she became the most popular girl in school. Yumi cared a little for Mikan but she was more of a socialite than a best friend so she decided to stick with Faye.

Yuri on the other hand was worried sick about Mikan. He visited her everyday together with her fan boys. His visits, however, gradually decreased as days passed by. He was always hoping to see her pretty face but since her whole head was bandaged he couldn't even get a glimpse of her. He was actually more worried if her face was scarred or ruined than if she would ever wake up or not. Truth be told, he fell in love with her face not with her completely.

The doctor said she could go to school already provided that she does not remove her bandages. Faye started a rumor that her face was permanently scarred. She convinced everyone that Mikan was a freak because she looked like a mummy with all her bandages. Yumi felt sorry for Mikan but she just couldn't risk going against Faye. Faye was also trying to get Yuri to fall in love with her.

When Mikan started going to her school again, she was hurt because of what Faye and Yumi were doing. She considered them her best friends and she trusted them. Although some of the student population still looked up to Mikan, most of them already believed what Faye said. This is probably because Mikan wanted the cause of her accident to be a secret. She didn't want to be treated as a hero because she only did what was right, nothing special. People began avoiding her just as Faye wanted.

"Anyone would have done the same thing guys." Mikan said to her three 'loyal' best friends. "It's not that much of a big deal."

"What do you mean anyone would do the same thing?" Hotaru argued coolly. "Only you would be so reckless to think of such action" Hotaru was actually proud of Mikan. She always does great things yet she remains humble about them. She knows that Mikan is the type of person that believes that there is good in everyone which is probably why she was being mistreated right now. _'Idiot'_ Hotaru thought.

"But Mikan they wouldn't believe Faye if you just tell them what happened" Ana insisted. "You're a hero Mikan"

"It's ok Ana. It's my fault I trusted Faye in the first place. I don't blame her for anything." Mikan said. She cried when she find out what her best friend was doing. No one saw it because of her bandages.

------------------------------------

After class….

"Mikan we need to talk." Yuri said.

-

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**flashbackend**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

-

Judges' Room…

-

"Number fifty-five. Please tell us something about yourself." Mr. Jinno said. "You have quite an impressive form here."

"My name is Faye Itsumi." _'I'm going to win this…'_ She grinned to herself and flashed a smile at Natsume.

-

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**flashback**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

-

"What do we need to talk about Yuri?" Mikan asked. She thought about Yuri's offer and she actually wanted to consider. She always liked Yuri but was just too dense to notice her own feelings. "Listen about what you said. My answer is y-".

"Mikan, I made I mistake." Yuri said while looking down. He can't face her directly "I don't love you. I love Faye." He turned his back and walked away.

He doesn't actually love Faye he just couldn't stand the thought of being with Mikan if she looked anything less.

"Oh." Mikan silently muttered as she stood there, shocked. Tears soaking her bandages, as she sobbed silently.

-

That day she walked home with Hotaru, Ana and Nonoko. She walked slower than usual so she was behind them. When they came to pass an alleyway, someone grabbed her from behind and pinned her to a wall.

"Give me your wallet." It was a desperate criminal.

Mikan snapped out of her reverie and started to feel nervous because the man had stuck a knife on her neck without her noticing. She looked around if anyone was there to help. At the other side of the street she saw a group of students from her school. Faye and Yuri were walking side by side. Faye noticed her predicament and just grinned a little. She made sure that no one else saw Mikan so that no one could help her. Yuri also noticed her but just kept his head low. _'Sorry Mikan'_

Mikan felt like crying again but she didn't. She bowed her head a little and clenched her fist.

"I don't have all day girlie giv--. What the--"

She grabbed the man's wrist and pulled him towards her. She twisted his arm and gave the man a sucker punch right across his face. By the time Hotaru and the others came, they saw Mikan standing there with her fists clenched. They called the police and stared at the scene.

"Hotaru…" They looked at Mikan who still had her head low. "I'm transferring schools…"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**flashbackend**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

-

The people are still crowding over the stall. They were all excited about the pageant. The screen beeped and flashed another number. This time it flashed the number seventy five.

Mikan felt her heart race. This was it, the moment of truth. She dragged her feat to the stall and stopped abruptly to call for her friends.

"Aren't you guys coming?" Mikan noticed that her friends didn't even move form their spot.

"You go in first. We'll catch up." Hotaru stated.

"O-ok" _'She's definitely up to something'_ She took a deep breath and went inside the stall. There was a person waiting for her inside to assist her.

"Are you Miss Mikan Sakura?" The person's face was a mixture of shock, disbelief, and amusement.

"Y-yes" Mikan said as she looked down and gave the person an I.D.

"V-very well then." The person directed her to the door leading to the judges' room. He really couldn't believe his eyes and was still recovering from shock.

"Oh my friends will be coming so please let them follow me in." Mikan told the person.

"Ok. Please go inside now." The person gestured for her to open the door.

-

Outside the stall…

-

Hotaru took out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, It's time already. Please bring them here now." She said and then she immediately hung up.

"Are you sure this will work Hotaru?" Ana was anxious to know.

"This will be our only chance to get her into that pageant. We cannot afford to fail."

True enough, once she gets eliminated Mikan won't be able to join anymore. This will ruin Hotaru's original plans for good. She felt really bad for what had happened to Mikan. Ever since they've transferred schools, she insisted on always dressing up as 'nerd girl'. Mikan says she doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes of trusting the wrong people again. She isn't exactly avoiding social contact; instead, she's making sure that people avoid her. She still is the same friendly Mikan, she's just reassuring herself that the people who approach her would be true to her no matter what.

Hotaru aims to rebuild Mikan's broken trust towards people. She wants to be able to see her best friend smiling again without the fear of having to worry if the person she's smiling to is honest to her or not. She doesn't like the idea of her best friend hiding behind a mask just so she could prevent herself from being hurt again. Hotaru thinks that making Mikan join this pageant will be the perfect opportunity to open up to people again. She'd meet new friends and if they're lucky, they might even get Mikan together with a certain someone and heal her broken heart.

Hotaru glanced at the stall where Mikan was. "Stay here and wait. I'll go in first. Once what we need arrives, bring them inside."

-------------------------------------

-

Mikan stepped inside the huge conference hall. She glanced at the judges who, at the moment, were quite busy. All of them were scribbling notes on some paper, all but one that is. The judge at the far left side of the table was reading manga and not paying attention to anything at all.

She took shy steps towards the center of the room. She faked a cough that made the five judges look at her with the exception of the one reading. _'Rude much'_ she thought.

They eyed her. She smiled knowingly when she saw that they all (Except Persona who remained unfazed and Natsume who was still reading) had bewildered expressions on their faces. Her plan was working. She couldn't see the last judge since he was holding his manga too high that it was covering his face but it didn't matter.

"Uhm… Miss are you number seventy five?" Reo broke the silence.

"Yes sir." She smiled. She couldn't help but feel happy knowing that her plan is actually working.

'_That voice… Sounds familiar'_ Natsume lowered his manga just enough to see Mikan but not enough for her to see him. He eyed her carefully. He didn't recognize her but he couldn't shake the feeling that he's met her before so he kept quiet and decided to observe.

There was a long moment of silence before one of the judges decided to speak again.

"Uh… What's your name miss?" It was Ruka.

'_Hm… I know I've seen him somewhere before.'_ thought Mikan as she looked at Ruka. "Mikan Sakura." She said.

"You're Miss Sakura?" Reo blurted out, he was obviously shocked. Mikan nodded.

Hotaru entered the room and took a seat on one of the chairs behind Mikan.

Ruka's jaw dropped. "Hotaru?" Hotaru looked at him. "This is the friend you wanted to enter in the pageant?" She nodded.

"Why what's wrong?" Hotaru asked.

None of the judges could react. Narumi had always been the nosiest among them but for some reason he kept quiet in his seat. He was examining Mikan meticulously. He smiled inwardly at her as if seeing something no one else could. Persona also observed the girl curiously.

Reo couldn't take it anymore. "Ok this is crazy. Miss you have got to be kidding us. Do you really want to enter the pageant?" It wasn't a question at all, it was more of an implicit comment.

Before Mikan could react and tell them she doesn't, Hotaru beat her to it.

"Yes she does. Is she not qualified?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow as she stood from her seat. She walked towards the judges as if she was a lawyer defending her client.

"If you ask me she's more than qualified." She added.

"But Hotaru…" Ruka couldn't find the words. Mikan watched her best friend nervously. _'What's she up to?'_

Natsume continued to watch quietly. He doesn't know the auburn haired girl but he's sure he has seen the black haired girl before.

"I'll prove it then." Hotaru said. Ana and Nonoko entered the room. They were both pushing carts that were covered with blankets. Hotaru went outside momentarily and came back dragging a wagon that had some kind of large object on it though it can't be seen because it was also covered with a white sheet.

"What are those?" Reo asked.

Mikan was also curious as to what her friends had brought in. Hotaru removed the blankets covering the carts. Mikan's jaw dropped. There they were, all of her trophies, plaques, certificates and awards.

Hotaru smirked at Mikan's reactions. She had anticipated all of this. She even managed to research about the judges' background. She knows the field of interest of each judge, except Natsume; even she couldn't find anything that would interest him. Persona was difficult too but she figured she'd just improvise later.

Hotaru handed Narumi numerous certificates of Mikan being hailed most fashionable not only in school but in other social gatherings. Narumi nodded his head in approval and grinned. She handed Jinno Mikan's plaques recognizing her genius in various fields of academics. She also showed him Mikan's trophies in the field of arts. Mikan is quite the artist be it visual arts or music. Jinno was impressed. For Reo, she presented a single certificate. Reo rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"What the? This is a certificate for winning 'Star Search' singing competition. This was the contest where I got discovered as a new musical talent. All the winners of this contest have become popular singers." He glanced at Mikan. "Didn't they offer you a contract?"

"They did." Mikan said sheepishly.

"She rejected their offer." Hotaru answered for them.

Reo just couldn't believe their reason. '_Who would turn down an opportunity like that? They probably didn't offer her a contract because they knew she won't be able to become famous with her appearance looking like that'_

Hotaru skipped the other three judges and just showed them random awards.

"Satisfied?" She asked calmly.

Ruka turned to Hotaru and asked. "Uhm… What's on the wagon Hotaru?" He pointed towards the wagon Hotaru dragged inside. She still hasn't removed the sheet that covered it. Hotaru smirked at Mikan.

Mikan gulped. _'This isn't good'_ she thought.

"Mikan, could you care to demonstrate one of your talents?" Hotaru told Mikan. It was more of a command than a request.

"Eh?" Mikan asked bewilderedly. _'Hotaru what are you up to?'_

"Very well, I guess you need a little encouragement." Hotaru removed the sheet covering the wagon. The judges' were amazed. Hotaru had brought in one of her inventions.

"Hotaru, isn't that the robot you invented that won the national science fair. It was featured in the papers. That's a fighting robot, right?" Ruka stated.

On top of the wagon was Hotaru's award winning fighting robot. She developed it together with the help of her friends. It is capable of human locomotion and its sleek lightweight design makes it a formidable opponent.

Hotaru gave Mikan an amused smirk as she took out a remote control from behind her back. She began pushing random buttons and the robot started moving.

Mikan gulped, she was definitely in for it. The robot began attacking her by delivering punches in every direction possible. She dodged each attack gracefully impressing the judges.

"Hotaru, cut-it-out." She was having difficulty in speaking while fighting.

At the same time, Hotaru has been telling the judges about Mikan's achievements and awards. Mikan was in the background evading Hotaru's psycho-robot as a demonstration.

"She also won medals in various sports. The idiot maybe clumsy most of the times but she can do a lot when she puts her mind into it." Hotaru continued her lecture.

The judges were impressed. They all were. Hotaru stopped her invention from attacking Mikan. Mikan heaved a sigh of relief. _'That Hotaru would do anything to get what she wants. No matter, I'm sure no judge in the right mind would pass me.'_

"So is she in?" Hotaru was anxious to know though she didn't show it. Ana and Nonoko who were watching the whole time were crossing there fingers in hopes that the judges will say yes.

Mikan was panting really hard. "Hotaru I'm gonna get you for this later" she whispered to no one.

Jinno decided to test Mikan with a question. "We've asked this question to all of the candidates. I'm curious as to how you'll answer it."

"What's the question?" Mikan asked.

"If you were stuck in an island and was given the chance to have one thing with you, what would that item be?" Ruka stated the question. He was also curious about Mikan.

The other contestants pretty much said the same things. If it weren't food it was shelter, If not family then friends, if not a prayer it would be some other cheesy stuff that they just make up to suck up to the judges. They were expecting Mikan to answer at least one of these; any ordinary person would answer that way. They obviously committed the mistake of thinking she was ordinary.

Instead of answering the question, Mikan merely tilted her head to the side and questioned them back. "If I were stuck on an island, how would I be given a chance to choose which item to have with me? I mean I'm stuck, aren't I? I couldn't possibly choose."

Ana and Nonoko slapped their foreheads. Hotaru remained unfazed though amusement glistened in her eyes. Her answer was idiotic. Then again, maybe not…

Persona and Natsume (He still hasn't put down his manga) smirked a little. They've already notice how stupid the question really was. To think that only one contestant out of seventy five was able to notice it too was really amusing. The other judges were contemplating on her retort. She was right. She had a point.

"Fine" Reo said. "If you must have a reason for being able to choose, then let's just say that you found a magic lamp on the island and a genie told you that you can have one wish. What item would you wish for? There, are you happy? It should make more sense to you now."

Mikan put a finger under her chin. "Yeah but then couldn't I just wish to get off the island instead of being stuck there with any item?"

Reo hit his head on the table. The girl was too simple minded that her simplistic approach keeps her from missing minor details.

"I'd say she's in already. I've seen enough." Narumi exclaimed happily. "This girl is positively brilliant." Mikan's jaw dropped. _'Oh no! Please no no no no no!'_

"She may be brilliant but she's too **ugl**- I mean **unique**." Reo hesitated. "I'm sorry but she's out." Mikan heaved a sigh of relief. Hotaru clenched her fist. Ana and Nonoko clasped their hands tight and began praying.

"She's intelligent, talented and skilled. She definitely passes the standards." Jinno said while adjusting his glasses. What did I tell you? He has no eye for beauty but he knows potential when he sees it.

That's two votes in and one vote out. Three more judges…

"I'm sorry Hotaru. I guess she's out." Ruka said. _'Mr. Hyuuga would have my head…' _It was against his better judgment but he's too afraid of what Mr. Hyuuga might say if they let a nerd enter the pageant.

Two more judges left… Persona smirked at them. "Whatever Natsume's decision is, that will also be my judgment."

Everyone turned to look at Natsume. It was up to him whether the girl would be qualified or not. He eyed the candidate's three best friends and recalled that they were the same friends that the girl who poured juice on him had. He lowered his manga but before he could speak…

"IT'S YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Mikan quickly covered her mouth. _'Uh-oh, I'm gonna blow my cover.'_

Hotaru smirked at her outburst. Mikan might have made her job a lot easier.

Natsume raised an eyebrow at her. The rest of the judges were shocked at her reaction. She was the first candidate to react that way towards Natsume. There was no trace of affection in her voice only irritation and disbelief.

'_Hyuuga? Hyuuga corporation?' _She mentally slapped her head. _'Oh great! Think of an excuse Mikan… How did I get into this mess?"_

"Have I met you before?" Natsume asked.

"Uhm no… hehehe" Mikan scratched the back of her head. "It's just that I'm surprised to see someone… uhm… famous" _'He is famous right?'_

"So Natsume? What's your judgment?" Persona asked. He found the brunette in front of him very interesting.

Natsume pondered for a while. He thought about the girl who poured juice on him. He was sure that if he accepts this candidate, he might end up seeing the girl again seeing as they have the same set of friends. (He doesn't recognize Mikan but he's slightly suspicious)

Every one waited excitedly for his answer. It has never taken this long for Natsume to reject a girl.

"She's in."

Mikan's jaw dropped.

_To be continued…_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**-**


	7. In or Out

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Disclaimer:** Not mine? Not yours either… Live with it!!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

-

_**All is fair in love and war…**_

**-**

**-**

**Chapter 6 In or Out?**

-

Silence…

-

That was what filled the room they were at. No one dared say a word. How could they? They were all… puzzled. Why on earth would Natsume say yes? He hasn't said yes to any other girl before, up until now, that is, and to a nerd of all people. But what was more puzzling was Mikan's priceless reaction. It resembled Edvard Munch's artistic masterpiece, 'The Scream".

Shouldn't she be happy that by some God given 'miracle' she managed to enter the most prestigious **beauty** pageant without having to reveal any **beauty** at all? Maybe she was just overwhelmed by joy, or maybe it was the fact that she knew the so-called 'miracle' was standing right behind her in the person of her best friend.

Hotaru had a confident smirk etched on her lovely face. _'All according to plan…'_ And the plan was to get Mikan in. She frowned at some miscalculations. Even she didn't expect that the great Natsume Hyuuga would be the one to get Mikan in. She had already anticipated him to say no. That was supposed to be where Ruka came in. He was the one she was counting on. She glared at the blond who almost ruined her plans. Ruka, who was too preoccupied at the moment, was oblivious to the stare. He and the rest of the judges were looking at Mikan and Natsume simultaneously.

Natsume kept on observing the girl before him. He wasn't too surprised at her reaction. The moment she entered the room, it was obvious to him that she didn't want to join. He found the girl quite interesting. So far, she's the second girl to catch his attention, second to the girl from the food court. He found the 'nerd' to be very familiar. '_Too familiar_' He shrugged the thought away though it still nagged at him. The last time he jumped into conclusions, he ended up soaking wet with strawberry juice. He wasn't planning on repeating the same mistake.

Ruka felt the glare on him intensify. _'I'm so dead'_ He just broke the number one rule for survival. A rule, he of all people, knew too well: Never go against the will of Hotaru Imai.

Ana and Nonoko squealed in delight. "She's in!" It took a while, but the news finally sank in.

This broke Mikan out of her trance. She glanced over at Hotaru, expecting to see a smirk. She was surprised to see a stone glare directed at one of the judges. _Desperate times call for desperate measures_. She had to act now and think of a way out before it was too late. Luckily, Hotaru gave her an idea.

"Hey Hotaru, is that the guy who you are dating right now?" Mikan asked, barely being able to contain her excitement.

Hotaru nodded, not lifting her glare from the boy who seems to be melting on his seat.

"I guess that means I'm out of the pageant." Mikan said. She was pretending to sulk but she just couldn't hide the sudden cheeriness in her tone.

Hotaru diverted her gaze towards the brunette. "Why so?"

"Well, the candidates shouldn't have any relationship with any of the judges. Since you two are pretty close and we are best friends, it kinda makes it unfair to the other candidates. Don't you think?" Mikan looked sadly at the judges. The judges nodded. It was clearly stated in the guidelines.

Hotaru glared at Mikan. She wasn't gonna lose that easily. But what can she do? Rules are rules.

Natsume, who had been listening attentively, raised an eyebrow at Mikan. "I thought you're supposed to be smart, little girl?" Everyone turned to face him.

"What do you mean?" Mikan said, her brows twitching while clenching her fists. She almost forgot about him, the cause of all her troubles. _'He's the reason why I'm in this mess. __**Everything**__. It's because of him. It was __**his corporation**__ that sponsored the pageant. It was __**his fault**__ I lost to the game to Hotaru. It was him who __**voted **__me __**in**__. When will this guy leave me alone?' _"What is it that you want? The rules are clear, aren't they? I'm disqualife-." Her irritated whining was interrupted by Natsume's calm voice.

"First of all, you are **not related **to any of the judges. Second, the reason for that rule was so there wouldn't be any biased decisions; you shouldn't be complaining about that because he actually voted you **out**." Natsume stated in a bored manner. He smirked as he saw how flustered Mikan was.

"B-but I…," Mikan slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Where do I proceed?"

The other occupants of the room watched amusedly at how the two were bickering. Since when does the great Natsume Hyuuga give that much effort to keep a girl from dropping out of a pageant? And since when does a girl actually want to drop out after being voted in by the country's most sought after bachelor? These questions keep ringing inside their heads. This was certainly a first in any recorded history.

"Right this way, Miss Sakura." Mr. Narumi told the young brunette. "I and the rest of the judges are going to have a brief meeting before we orient you and the other chosen candidates. You and your friends wait here for a while." He directed Mikan and the rest to the room were the other candidates were.

Mikan, feeling depressed, nodded absentmindedly. She glared at Natsume on her way to the waiting room. As she passed him by, she heard him say, "Congratulations, Strawberries"

She stopped at her tracks, causing Hotaru to look at her. "What's wrong now, idiot?"

"Strawberries?" Mikan tilted her head a little.

'_Hn…She didn't get it? Maybe it's not her after all. It's still too early to assume.'_ Natsume was actually thinking of the flavor of the juice the girl from before poured on him. He wanted to see if the girl from before and the nerd in front of him were the same. It didn't cross his mind that, even though the girl in front of him was smart, she'd forget about the incident. _'Change of plans'_ He smirked. "I didn't mean the juice little girl"

"Juice?" Mikan gave him a more confused look. He frowned, _'So it isn't her…or is it?'_

'_It isn't the juice… not the juice??? What juice? Strawberries? Isn't that the same pattern on my…'_ Mikan's face flushed as each second passed. Natsume smirked. He was referring to more than one thing when he called her strawberries. "You should really wear shorts when you demonstrate your fighting skills with a killer robot."

Hotaru watched her best friend amusedly while Ana and Nonoko held Mikan back. "LET ME AT HIM!!! THAT PERVERT! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!!!"

"Mikan calm down…" Ana and Nonoko tried desperately to calm her.

"Ms. Sakura… Please uhm… Don't mind Natsume" Ruka tried to reason out.

Persona found the whole scene very entertaining. Jinno couldn't care less at what was happening; he was too busy checking the forms of those who passed. Reo shook his head at the scene. Narumi nodded to himself in approval, _'This girl is the one for him…'_ He grinned.

After a few moments, Mikan finally calmed down. Ana and Nonoko sighed. _'That was close'_

She lifted her head up to face the stoic raven haired boy. Natsume was slightly taken aback at Mikan's calm yet scary smile. "Do you want another demonstration? I also know how to use a sword." Mikan's evil grin became wider.

"Where are you gonna get a sword?" Natsume was just digging his own grave.

In a split second, Mikan walked over to the wagon containing her trophies, one of which was a sword won from a sword fighting competition. Natsume, alert as he was, dodged every swing the girl threw at him. "Tsk. What kind of sword fighting competition did you win that from? Don't tell me you were the only contestant." He really enjoyed provoking her.

"Natsume…" Ruka uttered.

Hotaru pushed some buttons on her remote. The robot proceeded to restrain Mikan. "LET ME GO!!! I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS HYUUGA!!!"

Mikan was dragged forcefully into the waiting room with Ana and Nonoko following. Hotaru walked over to Natsume, "You're lucky she wasn't really serious or she would have really sliced you in half."

"She was just kidding around?" Natsume asked the genius inventor.

"No, but if she wanted to kill you, she would have done it already." Hotaru began walking towards the waiting room. "She just has uncontrollable anger issues."

She glanced at Ruka. "We'll talk later." He gulped.

o------------------------------o

After the four girls have left the room…

"Hn. I've never seen you treat a girl like that Natsume." Persona smirked at him. "Usually, you're the one holding the sword to fend girls off."

"Shut up" Natsume glared at him. Ruka sighed.

"You shouldn't have agitated her." Ruka said.

"Don't you have your own problems kid?" Reo told Ruka in an amused tone.

"Huh?"

"Your girlfriend." Natsume enlightened him.

_-gulp-_ "You're right. She's gonna kill me… or worse." Ruka slumped down on one of the chairs. _'Torture me…'_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Waiting Room…

"I SAID LET ME AT HIM!!!" Mikan said hysterically.

"Calm down, idiot. The other candidates are staring at you." Hotaru said as they entered the waiting room.

_-sigh- '1…2…3… relax…happy place… think of a happy place…'_ "Fine" Mikan said as she gave her sword to Nonoko.

They proceeded to the back of the room. Along the way, they were met with peculiar glances from the other candidates and their friends.

As they passed a certain row, they were interrupted by an annoying shrill voice. "NO WAY! The G4's mascot made it?" Everyone turned their heads to the source of the commotion.

"L-luna?" Mikan uttered.

"DUH! Who else could it be? What are you doing here?" Luna asked, irritated.

"**DUH**! She made it… **OBVIOUSLY!**" Ana and Nonoko smirked at her triumphantly.

"Mikan Sakura? _Nerd girl of the year_ passed this pageant?" Luna said disbelievingly.

"Mikan Sakura???" Another voice echoed throughout the room, this time coming from the front. Everyone snapped their head towards the noise.

"F-faye? Y-yumi too?" Mikan was shocked to see her two ex-best friends. The two girls stared back at her.

Faye smirked confidently. "Soo… The accident really did tarnish your face…" She walked towards Mikan. She stopped right in front of her and examined her face. "Your cheeks… probably scraped from the pavement. Perfect teeth deformed. Vision permanently impaired." Faye thought out loud. _'Better than I imagined her to look… Or should I say worst?' _She began giggling to herself.

Luna stood there… ignored. _'Who is this ugly hag? How dare she steal all the attention? I'm supposed to be the one to taunt the mascot…'_

"So Mikan what brings you here?" Faye asked.

Seeing as Mikan was still speechless, Hotaru stepped in front of her. "She's here to enter the pageant."

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," roaring laughter erupted the room. Most of the people in the room laughed along with Faye. Yumi felt sorry for Mikan but still faked a laugh.

Hotaru's psycho robot stood in front of Faye, towering over her. "Do you want Amanatsu to teach you some manners?" Hotaru stated for everyone to hear.

The laughter died down and was replaced by an eerie silence. "I thought so" Hotaru and the rest proceeded to their seats at the back.

They were greeted by a pretty girl with big blue eyes and long black curly hair. "Hi there! My name is Yumiko Toudo." The girl offered her hand.

Mikan took it happily and shook it. "I'm Mikan Sakura and these are my friends: Hotaru, Ana and Nonoko." The girls nodded respectively.

"Are you here alone?" Mikan asked Yumiko.

"Yeah, but I'm not the only one… This is Nobara Ibaragi, I met her just now." Yumiko pointed towards the girls beside her. She had curly light blue hair and calm silver blue eyes. She looked at Mikan shyly. Mikan took her hand and shook it. She beamed at the girl. "Nice to meet you! Let's be friends then." The girl blushed.

Hotaru smiled. She was glad Mikan was making friends already.

-

-

After a few moments…

The judges finally entered the room. The girls squealed at the sight. Mikan glared at Natsume. He just looked indifferent.

Mr. Jinno proceeded in front. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"As you all know, you are the lucky candidates to proceed to the pageant. Fortunately, there are exactly twenty of you so there won't be a need for a secondary screening."

Mr. Narumi continued, "You are the _semi-finalists_ for the pageant. You see, the pageant is composed of two parts: the semi-finals, also known as the informal part; and the finals, commonly termed as the formal part or the grand coronation night."

"The finals will be held for one night only. It's the part of the pageant that you are all familiar of. Only ten contestants would proceed to this part." Murmurs were heard throughout the room.

"The semi-finals will determine who those ten will be. It will be held for a number of days. Like the finals, it will be broadcasted nationwide." Some of the girls giggled excitedly. Mikan looked nervous. _'L-live?'_

"The semi-finals will go like this: each of the five judges, including the main host, will prepare a series of 'tasks' or 'tests'. You will then be judged according to your performance. The candidates with the lowest grades will be eliminated. Points are also determined by live voting wherein the viewers get to vote their favorite candidates."

"Each round, two candidates may be eliminated and the rest will advance. The important thing is that only ten of you remain. Meet us at the Northern Park, two days from now, and don't forget to come early. The pageant has officially begun…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Whoops! Is that a cliffhanger? **

**By the way... ****Yumiko Toudo**** is a character from Lady-von-Biefeld... a character from her upcoming fic...**

**Violent reactions? Friendly suggestions? Please review!!!**

**This chapter is a bit short but what else can I put there? Sorry about that! It's all reserved for the next ones…**


	8. Let the Pageant Begin

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately it still isn't mine… But soon it shall be… (as soon as I get to sleep)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

-

_**If everything was exactly how it seemed,**_

_**Nothing would be interesting anymore.**_

_**Now, where would be the fun in that?**_

**-**

**Chapter 7 Let the Pageant Begin**

-

The Orientation Room…

The tension tripled within the last couple of minutes all thanks to Mr. Narumi. He accidentally blabbed out about the supposedly 'secret' ranking they have given the contestants during the initial screening.

"It's nothing to worry about girls; it was just used to determine your official numbers. Candidate number one has the highest ranking and candidate number twenty the lowest." Reo explained, trying to calm down the near-to-panic girls, only to fail miserably in doing so.

"Silence!" Mr. Jinno's stern voice boomed throughout the room.

"You're probably wondering how we managed to rank you guys when all we did was voted whether you got in or out." Narumi ignored the fact that all the commotion was his fault and continued his explanation to the girls. _'We were gonna tell them anyway. I just wanted to tell them sooner' _He reasoned excitedly inside his deranged mind as he grinned to the girls. _'This is bound to get interesting once they find out their rankings.'_

Ruka cleared his throat. "It is true that we only voted whether you guys pass or not but, as professionals, we also have standards for our votes. We wouldn't have been able to decide whether you're in or out, if we didn't have a basis for grading each of you." He stated politely, earning glances of admiration from the love struck girls. Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Each judge gave you a rating from one to one hundred. Those whose rating got higher than fifty got in and those who got lower were voted out."

"So shall we assign your numbers then? I'll call you in ascending order. Number twenty goes first and so on until we reach our leading contestant." Narumi said, mischief written all over his face. He glanced at the pigtailed girl seated at the back. "As I call your name stand up in front and introduce yourself. This will help you be familiar with each other."

'_Why is that guy staring at me? R-ranking eh? I guess I should be called out first seeing as he's calling the candidates in ascending order. I probably got the lowest score. It's what I wanted but it's still kinda embarrassing. Oh well, better just get this over with.'_

Mikan stood up from her seat earning quite a number of stares from the other contestants. They didn't doubt her actions because most of them had the same thoughts as her. Pity. That's what probably helped her to enter.

Natsume watched, amused by the girls naiveness. _'Silly little girl'_

Before she could take her first step towards the front, Narumi's voice beat her to it.

"Candidate no. 20 Ms. …" The girl stood up and went in front.

At first everyone was shocked that she wasn't the one called first but they soon got over it. They were too busy worrying for their own ranking that they completely forgot about Mikan.

Mikan was at the back standing as confused as ever. _'I'm not last… Calm down Mikan… You're turn will be up pretty __**soon**__…'_ So she remained standing waiting for her turn that was to come 'soon'.

_Soon_ didn't come as early as expected. It was already the top ten candidates and her name hasn't been called yet. Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts that no one else has noticed. _'Uh… Maybe I'm just a reserved candidate… That would be better… It would mean that I'm not really part of the pageant.'_ She thought wishfully as she remained standing at the back.

"Candidate no. 9, Miss Ino Terada, please introduce yourself."

A girl with purple eyes and straight red hair went in front.

"My name is Ino Terada. I love sculpting and some of you might already know who I am. I joined to win this pageant and no one is gonna get in my way." Ino said confidently.

'_What a competitive girl… but really pretty,'_ Mikan thought, completely forgetting about her predicament.

"Thank you Miss Terada. Candidate no. 8, Miss Rika Hikari, the floor is all yours."

"My name is Rika Hikari. I play the flute. I do international concerts and I am internationally acclaimed in the music industry. I came to win this contest for Natsume." She flashed a lovely smile to Natsume as her green eyes glistened under the little light the room had. Her green shoulder length, hair bounced as she made her way back to her chair.

Natsume grunted in disgust as he rolled his eyes.

"Candidate no. 7, Miss Nobara Ibaragi."

"Good luck Nobara! You can do it!" Mikan cheered her new found friend and flashed one of her brightest smile.

Even under all her disguise, her smile still had the endearing effect it has on people.

'_Pretty'_ Nobara thought. She nodded and smiled back at Mikan. She shyly made her way to the front and took the microphone.

"My name is N-nobara Ibaragi. I like to skate." She bowed humbly and made her way back to Mikan and the rest. She was being modest for she forgot to tell them that she's a world champion Ice Skater.

"Candidate no. 6, Miss Sumire Shouda."

Sumire made her way to the front in a proud manner.

"Stay away form Natsume-sama. I, Sumire Shouda, president of the Official Natsume-Ruka international fan club, forbid you to go anywhere near him without his say so. Oh, and I play the violin."

Everyone sweat dropped.

"What a unique uh… description of yourself Miss Shouda," Narumi said. "Candidate no. 5 Miss Yumiko Toudo"

"Oh… Yumiko you're up." Mikan said excitedly. She's only met the girl but it seems that she's known her forever already.

"Thanks Mikan."

She gracefully made her way in front. "My name is Yumiko Toudo. Nice to meet you! I like to dress up and paint. I'm also fond of playing the piano. I'd like to have a lot of new experiences by joining this pageant. That's all and thank you." She bowed politely and returned to her seat.

Ana and Nonoko were grinning widely.

"What?" Mikan asked out of curiosity.

"You haven't been called yet" They stated in the most obvious tone they could conjure.

Mikan froze…

They were right. It was already the top five slots and she still hasn't been called yet. Hotaru looked pleased. Really pleased.

"Candidate no. 4 Miss Arisu Akira," Reo continued calling the name of the remaining contestants.

A cute girl with silver eyes made her way in front. Her silver hair reaches half way down her back and swayed as she moved to the front.

"Hi! My name is Arisu Akira. I love Judo and Taekwondo. Together with my twin brother, Arata Akira, I am the heiress of the Akira fashion industry so I'm pretty good with dressing up as well." She smiled widely. "I'd love to make new friends"

A lot of contestants rolled their eyes but Arisu ignored them.

'_It seems that the top ten candidates are all really famous'_ Hotaru concluded.

"Before we proceed to the top three candidates, I'd like you all to remember that, unlike your numbers, your ranking are not permanent. You can still work your way to the top if you're up to it." Narumi announced.

"Mikan, Mikan… You're not gonna pass out, are you? Ana eyed Mikan. She was too nervous that she was zoning out.

"I'm so happy for you Mikan." Nobara said.

"Yeah me too…" Yumiko added sincerely.

The girl in front of them over heard their conversation. She had just made her way back to her seat.

"Oh, you haven't been called yet? That's so exciting! My name's Arisu and this is my twin brother Akira. Honestly, I hope you rank first. I don't like the other remaining contestants." Arisu said happily as she offered her hand to Mikan.

Mikan, however, was as still as a rock.

"Uh… Miss?" Arisu waved her hand in front of Mikan.

"I think she got stunned by how ugly you are," came the response of Arisu's stoic twin brother, Akira.

"Shut up Akira" Arisu pouted.

Mikan snapped out of her thoughts at the sight of the bickering siblings. "Oh… I'm sorry. I spaced out. My name's Mikan. Nice to meet you Arisu." Mikan managed to force a smile despite the tension tearing up her insides.

"Ah, I get it. You're just nervous. Good Luck Mikan."

"Thanks"

"Idiot, be quiet. They're announcing the top three candidates." Hotaru said impassively but excitement was _almost_ present in her eyes.

o---------o

Luna had a confident smirk on. She's bound to win this no problem. After all, no matter how famous all the girls here were, they were amateurs compared to her.

"Candidate no. 3, Miss Luna Koizumi,"

Luna's expression was so unreadable when she heard her name. She didn't move an inch. She had already expected being ranked first.

"Uh… Miss Luna?" Reo called.

She reluctantly stood up, still wearing the face that would make Hotaru so proud.

"I'm Luna Koizumi. I-I do ballet." She said almost robotically.

Hotaru smirked. Serves her right for being too full of herself.

"Wannabe" Faye uttered. She knew how flustered Luna might have been. _'Everyone knows I'm the one who ranked first.'_

She filed her nails waiting for her turn. She completely forgot that her pigtailed ex-best friend still hasn't been called yet.

It was right in the middle of the victory party inside her head that the judges called upon her name. "Candidate no. 2 Miss Faye Itsumi"

She broke her nail file and proceeded the same way Luna did.

"Faye Itsumi. I act, dance and sing." She said. She made her way back to her seat with only one thought in mind…

'_Who got the highest ranking?'_

Everyone else seems to be thinking the same. It was only when they heard giggles from the back that realization dawned upon them. _'No way…'_

"And Candidate no. 1 is none other than Miss Mikan Sakura."

Mikan's jaw dropped at it's lowest… This was definitely not her day…

Her new found group of friends, with the exception of a stoic inventor, cheered her on.

"Yay! Mikan!"

'_Y-ay m-me? Don't you mean __**why me**__?'_ She was near to tears at that moment.

She made her way to the front; meeting the deadly glares of everyone she passed by.

In front, she was greeted by a grinning Narumi, a nervous Ruka, a smirking Persona, a displeased Reo, a satisfied Jinno and a very indifferent Natsume.

"M-mikan S-sakura… Uh… I… do.. stuff… hehe" She laughed nervously. Hotaru wanted to hit her to the nearest wall.

Not being able to contain her outrage, Luna stood up in defiance. "What's the meaning of this? How could Sakura top us all?"

Mr. Narumi glanced at the candidates who nodded in agreement. "Well you see… she has the highest accumulated points."

Faye stood up, "How?" She asked calmly through gritted teeth.

"Well…" Mr. Narumi gulped. "She has a promising lead. For one, she's the only candidate who didn't get a zero from two of our toughest judges."

"You mean Natsume voted her in?" Faye clenched her fist. _'I won't lose to you Sakura'_

"Yes, she's the only one Natsume and Persona voted in. As to why, I still don't know." Reo said as he glanced at the two indifferent judges.

Natsume shrugged. Persona smirked, amused at the girls' jealous reactions. Most of the candidates, and their friends, glared at Mikan.

'_Great! More attention… Someone kill me…'_ Mikan thought.

"Ok… now that you know each other's name, you can now get to know each other's personality. We're already dismissing you but you can stay as long as you like." Narumi said, still grinning.

He and the other judges left the contestants in the room. They were off to prepare for the start of the pageant.

-

Once they've completely gone…

-

"Tell me Sakura, what did you do to the judges to get in, looking like that?" Luna asked.

Hotaru stepped in front of her defensively. "She got in fair and square"

"Don't kid us, Imai" Faye said sarcastically as the other candidates nodded. Yumi was behind her, looking away. She didn't exactly join the pageant; she was just there to support Faye.

"BACK-OFF" Sumire hissed. "Don't you dare doubt Natsume-sama's decision. If he says she's in, then she's in." Sumire stated, proving her unwavering loyalty to her idol.

"How do we know that the mascot didn't drug Natsume with one of her chemistry experiments?" Luna retorted.

"You guys shouldn't be jealous if she got a higher ranking than you. We all had to endure hardships to get in to this pageant. It only goes to show that this girl is special." Arisu defended her.

"Guys it's ok." Mikan tried to calm her friends down.

"Shut up Mascot it's not ok." Luna was furious.

"You jerks leave Mikan alone," Ana huffed as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Will you guys just shut up already," Ino Terada said. "Today's ranking doesn't matter. I'll win this anyway."

"Says the wannabe," Rika Hikari whispered non too softly.

"I heard that!" Ino was about to pounce on Rika when she was stopped by Mikan.

"Enough already! Quit acting like immature brats. If you really think I don't deserve my rank, and that it's you guys who should win then prove it. Not like this. Let's just do our best in the pageant ok?" She said, desperately trying to calm everyone down.

"Tsk. I still think you did something to the judges." Faye said.

"And I **know** she didn't. If there's anyone who'd cheat here it's probably one of you guys." Arisu said in a serious tone.

Faye was about to retort when she noticed Arisu's twin brother right behind her. She couldn't afford to look bad especially in front of the third (next to Natsume and Ruka) most sought after bachelor in the country.

"Figures… Can't look bad in front of a guy?" Yumiko questioned mockingly.

Faye and the others grunted.

'_I'll get you Sakura'_

o------------------o

The rest of the day went by quickly for Mikan. She tried to forget everything that happened by hanging out with her new found friends. She was able to get to know them better. She was even able to befriend the proud Sumire Shouda. They were dining at their favorite café in Central Mall.

"By the way Permy, thanks for standing up for me." Mikan said as she took a sip of her chocolate shake.

Sumire eyed her from head to toe. "Hn. You better not embarrass Natsume-sama, and do your best in the pageant." Mikan just smiled at her. _'She seems nice… she just doesn't want to show it'_

Sumire wasn't used to showing her soft side especially to possible rivals but Mikan seemed different. "And stop calling me Permy!"

Nonoko has been feeling uncomfortable. Their new friends have been staring at them like they were some kind of aliens. Hotaru noticed it as well. Ana couldn't stand it anymore.

"What?"

"By any chance, are you the Ana Umenomiya?" Arisu asked excitedly; Ana nodded.

"I knew it! You are, by far, the best amateur cook in Japan. Your baked goods are my favorite. I've bought every edition of your cook book." Arisu said all starry eyed. Her brother sweat dropped.

"And you are Nonoko Ogasawara, right?" This time it was Yumiko who asked.

"Yup. That's me." Nonoko answered.

"Your newest paint formula is amazing. I use it all the time." Yumiko lurched forward and hugged Nonoko.

"And you must be _the_ Hotaru Imai…" Yumiko and Arisu said at the same time. "…Genius inventor. They say that the government actually pays you big money for your inventions."

"And you said we were famous. You three are acclaimed as three young beautiful genius girls, who revolutionized the twenty first century with your innovations. They call you the G3, right?" Arisu said with admiration and a little exaggeration.

Hotaru frowned. "Actually, there are four of us."

"Really?" Yumiko and Arisu asked.

"You see, our fourth member likes to keep a low profile," Ana said as she glanced at Mikan.

"But this pageant is gonna change that," Nonoko said with determination.

Mikan sighed. _'I really have to do this huh?'_ "Fine, I'll do what I can in the pageant. But don't expect me to remove you-know-what."

"We understand." Ana and Nonoko said. They couldn't possibly force Mikan to remove her disguise after knowing that Faye was in the pageant as well.

"You don't have to remove you-know-what Mikan." Hotaru whispered. "We'll prove to those idiots that you don't even need your looks to beat them. And after you've won, then we'll remove it. I'd love to see the looks on their faces then." Hotaru had an evil glint in her eyes as she held her trusty camera. Nothing compares to the joys of the art of blackmailing…

"T-thanks Hotaru… _'I think'_'"

"Are you guys hiding something?" Arisu eyed them suspiciously.

"Nothing," the four girls chorused.

-

Mikan noticed the pin that Sumire was wearing. _International Natsume-Ruka Fan Club._

"So Permy, What's up with your fan club?"

"I told you not to call me that. It's more than just a fan club. It's an internationally acclaimed organization. We even rank the hottest guys in the nation." She said proudly.

"Really?" Nonoko asked.

"Uh-huh"

"So who's the top five then?"

"Let's see… Of course Natsume-sama is number one. Next, comes Nogi-kun. Then, Arata-kun." Sumire stated happily. She paused when she mentioned Arata, who was sitting across the table.

"Gee brother. You're more famous than I thought." Arisu told her indifferent twin.

Sumire then cleared her throat to continue. "Then there's Yuri Fuji. He's such a great athlete…" She sighed dreamily.

Mikan choked on her drink. _'Y-yuri?'_

Yumiko and Nobara glanced worriedly at her. "Mikan are you alright?"

She paled at the mention of the name. Hotaru, Ana, and Nonoko sighed. _'Time to go home'_

"We'll see you guys. We need to get Mikan home now," Ana said. The four of them bid farewell to their new friends, leaving them as confused as ever.

"Was it something I said?" Sumire wondered.

o-----------------------------o

Mikan walked to their front door. The others had gone home already. When she opened the door she was surprised by confetti and streamers.

"SURPRISE!!!" The people in her house cheered.

"W-what's this a-about?" Mikan was definitely not expecting this.

"You made it to the pageant, right?" Her mom asked.

"Uh… y-yeah" She stammered.

"Congratulations!!! We'll support you all the way!" Everyone in the Sakura household cheered.

'_Great! It just keeps on getting better!'_ Mikan wanted to hit her head on the nearby wall.

-

o--------------------o

Hotaru found someone waiting for her by the gates of her mansion. It was none other than Ruka…

"What do you want, Nogi?" She said impassively as she passed him by.

"Hotaru look I'm sorry I didn't vote your friend in but-"

"But what? Even though she has more potential than any of those girls you still voted her out. You judged her by her appearance and by nothing else," her tone monotonous but her glare as cold as ever. "You're lucky it all turned out for the best."

"I'm sorry Hotaru. I guess I just don't want to disappoint Mr. Hyuuga. I won't do it again. Promise." He said pleadingly.

"You're forgiven."

"Really?"

"Of course you still have to be punished. I wonder how much internet bidders would pay for these pictures of you sleeping with bunny slippers on."

"Hotaru!"

Some things never change…

o--------------------o

Back to Mikan's house…

-

"Oh Mikan! You're commercial is on," Mrs. Sakura said.

"C-commercial?"

They were still celebrating over the success _'failure'_ Mikan had in the screening.

"Aw look… they're flashing your pictures one by one"

_-gulp-_ _'This will not end well'_ She screamed inside her head.

"Mikan come an watch," Mrs. Sakura increased the volume so she could clearly enjoy the moment that would make any mother proud.

"**These lucky candidate will advance to the semi-finals. Candidate no. 20… no. 19…"**

Mikan sneaked away carefully from her mom. She didn't want to have any confrontations. Not now… She had a really long day…

"**Candidate no. 1 Miss Mikan Sakura"** her picture was flashed on the screen.

Everyone's jaw dropped, her mom, her classmates, her teachers, the whole country. Mr. Hyuuga who was drinking some wine in his office to celebrate the success of the screening, dropped his glass and spat the wine on his expensive plasma T.V. when he saw Mikan. No one bothered to pay attention to the rest of the advertisement.

The pageant has officially begun…

-

_What was the world coming to?_

_To be continued…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	9. Spontaneous Reactions

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Disclaimer:** If I wish hard enough? Ok how about if You and I pretend?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

-

"_**ALWAYS" and "NEVER"**_

_**are two words you must**_

_**ALWAYS remember NEVER to use.**_

**-**

**Chapter 8 Spontaneous Reaction**

-

"**Watch as these gorgeous ladies compete with each other to be proclaimed as**

'**The Next Teenage Beauty Queen'**

**We will test their beauty…**

**We will test their brains…**

**We will test their fashion sense…**

**We will test their talents…**

**We will test their personalities…**

**And we will test a whole bunch of other stuff**

**To find out who among this special group of girls will win the pageant watch it live on Flaming TV this coming Monday…**

**Get a chance to vote your favorite candidates… **

**Vote via text messaging, phone call, and e-mail.**

**o—o—o—o—o—o**

**-**

**It was a peaceful Saturday night. Not a soul was heard that night for all was too preoccupied with the image that came flashing through their TV screens. The first commercial of the pageant had just finished its first airing. Too bad no one even bothered to finish viewing it. After the 'jaw dropping' revelation of the candidates, or should I say a particular candidate, no one has had the will power to do anything other than blink. **

-

**Once.**

**-**

**Twice.**

**-**

**Thrice.**

**-**

**Did what they see really just happen? Or are they hallucinating? Has the world gone mad? Did everyone else see what they just saw? Or do they just need glasses?**

**A lot of people questioned their own sanity that night. There were varied reactions to the mind-blowing advertisement, all dependent on their relationship with the already-famous candidate.**

**Most looked at their companions as if asking for silent affirmation whether what they saw was real or just a pigment of their own imagination. **

'_What was that all about?'_

'_Is she for real?'_

'_Holy Cow!'_

'_I thought this was a beauty pageant. Not search for the socially-challenged geek award'_

'_Is this some kind of joke?'_

'_What so they allow just about anybody to enter…'_

'_Great! I just spilled my drink on my brand new widescreen TV.'_

'_Is this some kind of comedy show?'_

'…'

**These were the ones who knew nothing about her, the ones who judge too quickly without knowing anything.**

-------

**Some who had the privilege of meeting her before had other thoughts in mind. **

'_Mikan Sakura?'_

'_So that accident really did turn her into a freak?'_

'_Oh… She's still alive? Woah! … If I had known it was that easy to enter I would have submitted a form…'_

'_Aw… Poor Mikan… But she must still be really talented if she could enter such a pageant'_

'_No way… Mikan! She still rocks!'_

'…'

**These were the people who knew her from her previous school, the ones whom she had left behind.**

**Speaking of people from her previous school, there was one whose reaction was way beyond priceless. **

**Not Faye. She had already seen her during the orientation.**

**Not Yumi either. She was with Faye for support.**

'**If not them, then who?' you ask. **

---------------------------------o

"Mikan?" stroking his jet black hair in disbelief, Yuri Fuji averted his gaze from the T.V. screen to his sister, Yumi, his green eyes searching her blue ones for answers.

Yumi nodded her head sadly. They have finally found Mikan after all those months of searching. What they didn't expect was to find her in such a state.

With guilt eating up their insides, they tried to search for Mikan when she had left without a trace. Yuri broke up with Faye after finally realizing who he truly loved. It was a little too late and a whole lot pathetic but he's willing to do anything for Mikan now. Yumi still hasn't gotten rid of her social climbing habit but she was still determined to earn Mikan's friendship once more. She only hangs out with Faye in hopes that she might find something out about Mikan.

"B-brother?" Yumi asked, nervous of his brother's possible reaction to Mikan's appearance.

His brother just sighed and gave her a reassuring smile. Absence makes the heart grow fonder or, for Yuri's case, it makes the heart realize.

"It doesn't change anything. She is still the most beautiful girl in the world for me. I realized this too late but I really am in love with her. I want to meet her again and I want her to forgive me. It's a stretch but I'm not giving up. Ask Faye to let me come with you on Monday. Tell her I want to watch her. Anything. Just don't tell her our real purpose," he had a serious tone in his voice and determination was written all over his face.

Yumi smiled in return, "Ok. Leave it to me brother."

--------------------------------------o

-

**Not all had confused reactions to the commercial. Some were literally jumping for joy while others got sent to the ICU because of too much shock.**

**Students and teachers from Mikan's current school didn't know whether they should be happy or ashamed of knowing the brunette. Mostly it was the latter.**

'_How embarrassing! I actually know her'_

'_Hmm… Maybe she's dateable now..'_

'_Oh… Wow! That's my classmate!'_

'_Yuck! Those judges have no taste at all!'_

'_Ah… as expected from our top student…'_

'_Wow! Who knew she could pull it off! Maybe we were wrong about her'_

**Her friends were overwhelmed as well…**

-------------------o Ana's home

"She's in! She's in! You go Mikan!" Ana squealed to her heart's content, earning glances of uncertainty form her housemates.

"What?"

------------------o Nonoko's home

"Ah… Hotaru really is a genius. Hm… I wonder what we're gonna do from now on," Nonoko wondered to herself as she sat in her bedroom, eating cookies with milk. "Oh well, I guess we have no choice but to keep improvising…"

-------------------o Hotaru's Mansion

"Mr. Hyuuga is gonna have my head for this," a distraught Ruka said.

"Why?" came a question from the stoic schemer, the cause of Ruka's troubles.

"What do you mean why? Look, it has… well… It's just that…It's… It's…" he tried desperately to come up with an explanation. He couldn't.

"Well? I really don't see anything wrong with it," she stated.

"There is nothing wrong with it. It's just that… you know…"

"No. I don't know." Hotaru's tone was flat and bored.

_-sigh-_

"Never mind. I'm going now," He bade farewell to her.

"You're going home?"

"Nope. I'm going to Natsume's house. It's near here anyway. I have to face Mr. Hyuuga sooner or later."

"Good luck with that," She whispered loud enough.

---------------------o

-

**Among all of those who saw Mikan on T.V., no other reactions could possibly compare to those conjured by two very important persons…**

--------------------o

It has already been a few seconds since Mikan's picture was flashed rendering a certain mom speechless.

Yuka stared at the T.V. as if seeing the single most horrible thing in the world. The servants in her home glanced at each other worryingly.

When she finally broke out of her reverie, only three words escaped from her mouth which, by the way, was still hanging open.

"Mikan. Talk. Now." She whispered almost inaudibly.

The servants understood and immediately searched for the young miss.

They searched frantically all over the house only to find her sleeping peacefully in her room. Mikan hoped that she could escape any undesired confrontations by taking a pretend trip to dreamland. She wasn't really asleep. Who could sleep at a time like this? This has got to be the worst day in her life and it obviously isn't over yet. She faked a snore and prayed that everyone would just leave.

Yuka ordered everyone to leave in order for her and Mikan to talk. Mikan sensed her presence and snored louder, failing to take in account one significant fact.

"Get up Mikan. You know you don't snore," Yuka stated firmly.

"No, I don't? I'm asleep. How am I supposed to hear myself? I had no idea I didn't sno-" she covered her mouth, remembering the purpose of faking her sleep. _'Oh great. I blew my cover'_

Yuka sighed, "Mikan. Let's talk…"

----------------------o

-

After replacing the expensive plasma T.V., members of the Hyuuga household paced around the mansion, wearing worried faces. Never had they seen their master loose his composure before.

-

Mr. Hyuuga massaged his temples as he sat by his desk in his working area.

"Mr. Hyuuga, the young Mr. Nogi is here to see you," one of his maids said.

"Let him in."

Ruka entered to find Mr. Hyuuga none too happy about seeing him. He didn't look angry but he didn't look happy either.

"Good evening Mr. Hyuuga," Ruka greeted politely.

"Ruka, what is this? Isn't contestant no. 1 supposed to be the one with the highest rank?" Mr. Hyuuga was obviously not kidding around. He wanted answers.

"W-well you see s-sir… N-natsume… uh"

"What about my son?"

"H-he v-voted no other girl b-but h-her. All the o-other girls received a z-zero from him,"

Mr. Hyuuga let out a deep sigh. "Why? Is he doing it on purpose? Is he teaching us some kind of lesson? Or don't tell me just wants to get back at us for organizing this whole thing and forcing him to be a judge."

"N-no sir. You see… the girl… She's really… i-_interesting_," He whispered the last word and looked at Mr. Hyuuga meaningfully.

After a lot of explaining, Ruka managed to convince Mr. Hyuuga that it was really Natsume who got the 'nerd girl' in.

--------------------------------------o

"You do realize that what you're doing will not make things any easier for you," Yuka sat by her daughter's bed, gently stroking Mikan's hair with her hands. She had just heard about her daughter's dilemma and the cause of all of it.

"Yeah. This is really confusing mom. I never thought I'd see my old frie- I mean schoolmates," Mikan said sadly. She was hugging her knees as she sat by the foot of her bed.

Yuka saw how sad and confused her daughter was at the moment. "You know, you're old enough to handle your own problems so I'm gonna let you deal with them the way you want to. But always remember that I'll support you no matter what you choose to do."

"I'm sorry that this didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, mom."

"It's ok. What's important is that this turns out the way **you** want it to…" they smiled at each other. "I know, since the pageant will be held the day after tomorrow, why don't you have a day of fun and relaxation first?" Mikan's mom suggested excitedly.

"How?"

"We'll go shopping tomorrow for clothes. Your friends can come with you."

"Shopping for clothes? Why?"

"I'm taking you to the Charity Ball with me tomorrow. It's the one held every year to honor those who made contributions and donations to charity. It'll be fun."

"Won't that ball be filled with rich old guys?"

"Of course not! Hey, I happen to attend it every year. That doesn't mean I'm old!" Yuka crossed her arm and pouted.

Mikan smiled slyly and said, "Of course not mom. It just means you're not young anymore"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing"

They laughed and teased each other until they fell asleep. Tomorrow will be a fun and relaxing day for them. Maybe… Maybe not…

------------------------------o

"Natsume!"

Natsume's sleep was interrupted by Mr. Hyuuga's voice. "What?"

"I hope you act professionally as a judge for the pageant. You know how important that pageant is for the corporation." _'For you…'_

"Yes father. Can I go back to sleep?" he drawled out lazily.

"Can you take me seriously even for just this moment?" His father looked at him with serious crimson eyes.

"I am taking it seriously, dad. And besides, I for one know that contestant number one's debut caused an increase in our sales… particularly the appliance section," Natsume flashed one of his infamous smirks at his dad.

Mr. Hyuuga pondered on the thought for a while. His son was right. Due to the shockwave that the advertisement produced, a number of damaged plasma TV's (including their own), dropped cell phones, shorted laptops and lots of other… _casualties_ caused the corporation's sales to go up. He was delighted by the thought that his son was more business minded than he initially supposed.

'_Now if he could only find a girl for himself,'_ Mr. Hyuuga immediately dismissed the thought and looked back at his son.

"_-sigh-_ Fine. Don't forget about the charity ball tomorrow. Remember you have to show up since our corporation's organizing it this year."

"Do I have to? That ball is full of old people talking about being old and other stuff" he said in a lazier tone.

"Stuff like business strategies. There are a lot of things you can learn from those 'old people', Natsume. Besides, I'm coming with you and so are Ruka and Aoi. Who knows? Maybe you can find someone you like there"

Natsume grunted and laid back on his bed, "Fine. Whatever"

-

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tightening bolts and screws her psycho-robot, Amanatsu, had, Hotaru Imai found herself thinking of how her plan was progressing. So far, everything has been going smoothly. However, the unexpected turnout of events was not what she had wanted at all.

For one, she knew Faye was trouble. That girl was jealous of Mikan and has succeeded on driving her away and making her transfer schools. Perhaps it was time for a little payback…

Of course there was Luna. Although Hotaru would never say it out loud, she knew Koizumi, Luna is a threat. Her and the rest of the stuck-up contestants. They probably wanna tear Mikan apart limb from limb all because they lost to her, someone who is, in their opinion, inferior.

She sighed. Although she told Mikan that it was okay for her to keep her disguise, she still would have preferred it if she joined as herself. Then why did she say that she wanted Mikan to stay as 'nerd girl' to see the looks on the other contestants' faces if she didn't mean it?

**Phone Conversation (three-way)**

"Hello Ana, Nonoko. Are you there?"

"_Ana, here! What's up Hotaru?"_

'_Yeah, why'd you call?'_

"About 'nerd girl'…"

"_Yeah?'_

"We'll keep it that way…"

'_Uh sure Hotaru… You want to see the Faye and Luna's reaction when they realize how pretty Mikan is. We get you…'_

"It's not that…"

"_It's not?"_

"No…"

"_Then why?'_

"Think about it. If the judges were to find out that she was masking her appearance, she'll be disqualified"

'_Why? I don't get it… Doesn't that rule only apply to those who pretend to be more beautiful? Mikan made herself more ugly and actually reduced her chances of getting in. They can't use that against her.'_

"True… But the other contestants won't care. They'll do anything to eliminate the competition… The rules are clear. We won't get around it that easily so better safe than sorry. No one must know, got it?"

'_Yeah'_

_-_

**To be continued…**

oioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioio

oioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioioi


	10. Charity Ball

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Disclaimer:** If I wish hard enough? Ok how about if You and I pretend?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

_**Revenge is a dish best served cold…**_

_**-**_

_**-**_

**-**

**Chapter 9 Charity Ball**

Sunday… The sky was colored a unique shade of blue and the sun was high up at the zenith, indicating it was already midday. Everyone was already up and about doing what they had to do for the long and languorous day. Well, by everyone… it actually meant every one _but one_…

A sleepy auburn-haired girl lay asleep in her bed, tossing and turning while hugging her cuddly bear-shaped pillow. As the sunlight passed through her window, she couldn't help but stir awake, lazily shielding her half open eyes from the bright rays.

"Mmm… W-what time is it?" she sluggishly got up from her bed and glanced at the clock on top of her bedside table.

"Noon? I wonder why mom hasn't woken me up yet. I thought we were supposed to go shopping for clothes today," she wondered to herself as she stifled a yawn.

After much stretching and with great reluctance, she made her way to the bathroom to do her morning routines.

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

-

"_Achoo_!" _–sniff- -sniff-_

"Mom, I told you to lay back on the ice cream last night…" Mikan stood by her mom's bedside with her arms crossed and her foot tapping the floor, producing a steady beat. "Now look at you… You caught a cold? How are you supposed to attend the ball?" She glanced at her mother worriedly.

"_-sniff-_ I'm s-howrry –Ikan howney… Bu-t I gwuess yhou have _achoo_! _–sniff-_ to gwo alowne…"

"No way mom! I'm not going… I'm staying here to take care of you…"

"Down't be shtubborn… h-It's a cowld… It v-will pass… You have to attend the bawl-l in m-wy placshe pleash-e… _achoo! _V-you couwld take vyour _–sniff-_ fwiends with vyou…_"_ Yuka looked at her daughter with the most guilt-inducing puppy-dog-eyes she could muster.

Mikan tried to keep the stern face she had but eventually sighed in defeat, "Fine… but you're not going anywhere today…"

"Owkay! _Achoo!_"

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

"So your mom isn't coming?" Hotaru asked Mikan as the four of them (including Nonoko and Ana) headed for Central Mall.

"No, She caught a cold," Mikan answered worriedly.

"She'll be fine Mikan…" Ana assured her and Nonoko nodded in agreement. "We'll be sure to get her something when we get home."

"You're probably right… Hey guys… can we stop here for a while? I wanna put on my uh… disguise. With everything that happened yesterday, I'd much rather keep a low profile today," Mikan hid behind a parked vehicle just outside the mall.

"Uh Mikan… I don't thin-" Nonoko was interrupted when Hotaru raised one of her hands signaling her to stop what she was saying.

"Let her learn the hard way…" Hotaru whispered and let out a small smile.

Ana grinned and Nonoko sighed, _If she only knew what she was in for…_

----o

Moments later, after putting on her disguise, Mikan and her friends entered Central Mall. What was waiting for her, she would have never expected…

Ads, banners, flyers, and other promotional materials had the picture of the twenty lucky (or not-so-lucky, in Mikan's case) contestants and could be found at every corner of the Mall. The commercial was aired repeatedly not only in the giant screens of the mall, but also as the demo video of T.V.'s for sale. And to make matters worse, Mikan had just entered the mall in guise of the currently most popular, or should I say controversial, contestant of the pageant. She was trapped like a fly stuck on a piece of fly paper, and she didn't like it one bit. Her disguise drew a hundred times more attention than her ordinary self would. _'Great! Someone shoot me…'_

"_Hey it's Mikan Sakura!!! Let's get an autograph!"_

"_Woah! She's uglier in person!"_

"_She doesn't look that bad… Maybe with some contacts and a little plastic surgery, she could win"_

"_I heard the only reason she's on the show is because she's the comic relief character or something… you know just to make the pageant funny and interesting…"_

"…"

Mikan ran from all the nosy people who began following her around. But, much to her dismay, the more she ran the more the number of the people following her grew. She had no other choice…

She hid in a corner and removed her 'disguise'.

"Learned your lesson, Mi-kan?" a stoic voice said from behind her. Ana and Nonoko giggled.

"You guys… You could have said something you know…" Mikan panted from all the running.

"Well I did try to warn you but Hotaru said you should learn the hard way…" Nonoko said.

"We pretty much thought it was quite obvious Mikan…" Ana grinned.

"Whatever… Let's just go and get things over with…" She sighed. _'This is gonna be another long long day…'_

---o

After she has completely removed her disguise, they proceeded shopping. They went to various clothes shops to find formal attires for the ball.

At the end of their shopping spree, they were able to buy all that they needed for the ball which includes: a laced lavender gown for Hotaru, matching pink and blue gowns for Ana and Nonoko --respectively, and a really fitting red cocktail dress for Mikan.

With all that they came from, they proceeded to Hotaru's mansion and prepared themselves.

----o

"Hurry up and just put it on… We're going to be late, Mikan," Hotaru reminded her.

"But I look weird…" She answered shyly.

"Nonsense Mikan. You look great!" Ana exclaimed as she twirled Mikan around while humming a cheerful tune. Nonoko applauded them.

"Just hurry so I could fix your hair…" Hotaru sighed. Apparently, she's the only one who can act her age among the four.

After a very long preparation… They were finally able to get ready.

Hotaru looked lovely in her dress that almost reached the floor. The shade of her dress accentuated her eyes deep amethyst eyes and the lace complimented her slim figure. She wore a single clip that matched her outfit.

Ana and Nonoko also looked nice, in fact, they almost looked like twins. They had the same dress only in different colors (pink for Ana and blue for Nonoko). The dress was as long as Hotaru's but it had a long slit in the middle. It also had a large bow behind. Both of them had their hair tied up in a bun with flowers holding it in place.

Mikan wore a simple red cocktail dress that was just knee-length. Some of her hair was secured behind her head by a red hair clamp with flower designs on it and the rest was let loose, flowing behind her back up to her waist.

"Perfect…"

"Yeah Mikan! You look great!"

"Thanks guys… you too…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Towering above all other buildings in the area, about three blocks away form Central Mall, stood the luxurious Special Star Hotel. With top quality service and state of the art hotel luxuries, it is said to be the best hotel in the world.

At the entrance, dozens of bellmen were waiting eagerly for the arrival of their special guests. With the red carpet rolled out and the lampposts lit, the ambiance couldn't be any more perfect for the guests. The guests for the Charity Ball…

Held once a year to honor those who have contributed much to charity, the Charity Ball is one of the highlight events awaited each year. Those who come, range from people in the middle middleclass to the upper upper-class. This year, the ball is sponsored by the Hyuuga Corporation, and as Hyuuga, Natsume stepped out of his limousine, he was blinded by the irritating flash of dozens of cameras shot at him.

"_Natsume Hyuuga… Is it true that you have finally found yourself a girlfriend?"_

"_Natsume what do you think about any of the contestants in the on-going pageant?"_

"_Natsume what relationship do you have with any of the girls?"_

"_Who do you think will win?"_

Natsume paid no heed to the paparazzi. With his father, sister and Ruka behind him, he went inside the hotel feeling really… bored. Once in, he sat himself at the table in front, which was reserved for them, and observed his surroundings.

He noted that the decorations need a bit of improvement and that the food was a little too much. He scowled distastefully at the choice of songs played, _'waltz?_' Glancing at the other guests, he saw some familiar faces.

He saw the Akira twins (Arisu and Arata, who were probably there to represent the Akira Fashion house), Yumiko Toudo (who was there to represent her sick dad), and Nobara Ibaragi.

'_Figures,'_ the other contestants were also wealthy but he knew they would rather break their nails than engage in charity.

As the ball started, Natsume found himself slowly dying of boredom.

"Natsume… Why don't you go dance or something?" Ruka asked. Mr. Hyuuga was already mingling with his business associates, and Aoi was already asked to dance so he and Natsume were left at the table.

"No," was Natsume's bored reply.

"Look, some of the contestants are here," Ruka pointed out.

"I can see that"

"I thought for sure we'll see all of the contestants come. After all, most of them came with distinct family backgrounds and are really wealthy"

"They're rich spoiled and conceited. They don't _do_ _charity_."

Ruka chuckled, "True, but I would have still expected them to come since you're here…"

"They don't know… It wasn't known to the public that I'll be attending… Well, not until a little while ago that is."

"Come on Natsume… Let's dance" Ruka stood up and tried to pull Natsume up.

Natsume sat up and raised an eyebrow at his best friend. Ruka stared at him quizzically before finally realizing the meaning of what he just said.

Flustered he muttered, "Y-you know that's not what I meant. I meant dancing with other girls not the two of us together."

Natsume gave a small smile at his silly best friend, "Right… Don't go gay on me now Ruka…"

"Tsk. Whatever," Ruka replied in an annoyed manner as he sat back down, crossing his arms in front of him. Grunting in his seat, he glared at Natsume and didn't utter another word.

Natsume's scowled as Ruka's silence enabled him to hear the music clearer. It was a slow steady-phased song that could easily put anyone to sleep. Well, he can't really expect them to play modern music seeing as most of the guests are almost as old as the dinosaurs (in his opinion).

"Ruka… remind me to fire the guy who's choosing all these songs. He's making me dizzy." He pressed his fingers against the side of his head. "Maybe I'll just rehire him to do something else."

Seeing an opportunity to tease his best friend, he gave Natsume one of his innocent smiles, "Why so? I think the song he's playing now suites you… _a lot"_ Ruka murmured the last words to himself.

"How so?" Natsume asked.

"Well… It's boring and is no fun at all…" Ruka grinned. "Much. Like. **You.**"

"Hn… Ruka…" He called his best friend's attention.

"Yeah Natsume?" Ruka answered.

"Shut-up"

"Whatever Natsume I'm just saying… it suits you"

------------------o

When Mikan arrived at the Special Star Hotel, it took Hotaru considerable amount of patience to hold herself back from shooting her dead on the spot. Her over-excited best friend was jumping up and down barely being able to contain her excitement.

"Woah! Hotaru! Lookie! It's so big!" Her eyes were as big as saucers as she stared at the place with awe.

"We have eyes dummy. Speaking of eyes, you should put yours back in your sockets. Make them stick out like that and they'll end up all over the place." Hotaru said monotonously as she continued towards the entrance.

"Hotaru you meanie!"

-

They entered the hotel, not without drawing a _little_ attention, and sat at their reserved tables.

A lot of men, young and old, made their way towards their table, asking at least one of them to dance.

"Hotaru, I told you I look weird in this dress… People are staring," Mikan whispered to Hotaru as she glanced at her lap. She played with her fingers as she tried to ignore all the attention.

With one single glare from the Ice queen, the people around their table were silenced. And with one single click from the gun she always carries around, they were all sent away shaking with fear.

"Oh… did you have to scare all of them?" Ana said.

"Yeah… we could have found someone to dance with Mikan," Nonoko added.

"Guys! I told you… no more schemes to get me a boy friend… you promised that after I agreed to join this pageant thingy…" Mikan reminded them.

"True… but we only promised to stop scheming behind your back… I don't recall promising to ever stop scheming at all," Hotaru smirked at her.

"B-but I wha-?" Mikan was unable to say anything else so she just sighed in defeat.

-

Moments later, some very familiar people approached them.

"Uh… Hotaru, Ana, Nonoko, you guys are here… Hello there!" Yumiko Toudo greeted them warmly. She was with Arisu and Arata Akira.

Mikan, not being able to contain her excitement, stood up from her seat and beamed at them.

"Arisu, Yumiko! You're here! Hm… I wonder where Permy is?" She lunged herself forward and hugged the unsuspecting girls.

"Uh… hehe… miss… do we know you from somewhere?" Yumiko asked, trying to sound as polite as she could.

But Mikan, being Mikan, was unable to notice the horror-stricken faces of Ana and Nononoko and the deadly glare Hotaru was shooting at her. _'Idiot,'_ they thought simultaneously.

"Oh wait don't tell me… You must be a model in our fashion house! Right! Am I right? You're pretty so you must be… Am I right Arata?" Arisu glanced at her twin brother, waiting for affirmation. But she got nothing.

Arata gazed at the lovely girl in front who was absentmindedly hugging him as well. The more he laid his silver eyes on her and stared the more his face felt warm. It could be the drinks, it could be the food, or it may very well be the air but there was no way that he, the ever so stoic Arata Akira, could blush because of a girl—no matter how cute or beautiful she looked. At least that's what he wanted to think. He brushed his silver hair with his hands and diverted his silver eyes away, pretending to have seen something interesting elsewhere. He was hoping that no one would notice the slightest shade of pink present on his face.

Arisu tilted her head and blinked at her brother's reaction. _'H-he's blushing… he never blushes… not ever'_ She shifted her gaze to the brunette who was still hugging her and grinned as wide as ever. _'I guess I finally found you a suitable girl friend brother'_

Intending to save Mikan's identity, Hotaru cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "Nice to see you guys here…"

"Oh yeah… Say, where's Mikan?" Yumiko momentarily forgot about the strange girl who was still hugging her.

Mikan lifted her head and was about to say something when Ana cut her off.

"Mikan? Well… She had a really long day yesterday. You know **'coz she's in the pageant**You see **she hasn't been herself** since last night after the **advertisement**." Ana was emphasizing some words, trying to hint Mikan of her current situation.

"Oh…" Mikan uttered, letting go of Yumiko and the rest. She glanced at herself from her toes up to her dress. Mentally hitting herself, she faked a laugh. "Yah… Silly Mikan… hehehe…" _'I'm gonna blow my cover like this… I've been so reckless… Argh!'_

Hotaru shook her head.

"Oh yeah… sorry about that miss… anyway, do we know you?" Yumiko asked once again.

"Er I'm uh… my name is… M-kknmkn-_cough-_kan_-cough-_" she beamed at them, hoping they wouldn't ask twice.

"P-pardon?"

Nonoko hit her head with her palm, "Her name is… Kimi Sakura. She's Mikan's uh…"

"Cousin" Hotaru finished for them.

"Oh…" Yumiko narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Something certainly didn't seem right, "Hm… How come you knew about us? And Permy? Only Mikan calls her that."

"Well uh that's because she told me everything about you guys and uh well… you guys are sorta like celebrities now that you're in the pageant…" _'pretend it's acting… you're not lying… just acting'_ Mikan was convincing herself because even until now, she was still a bad liar.

"Oh… I see. For a minute there I thought you were Mikan. Haha Silly me," Yumiko scratched the back of her head as she laughed sheepishly.

Mikan felt her heartbeat rise and laughed along with her._ 'She's a sharp one…'_ "Uh hehe Why would you think that?"

"Well, who wouldn't be suspicious when a stranger hugs them all of a sudden? Since you're Mikan's cousin… I guess it's alright. Nice to meet you, Kimi!" Yumiko smiled at Mikan shrugging her suspicions away.

Arisu eyed Mikan with mischief as she grinned to herself. "So… Kimi, are you a model or something? You sure are pretty… I wonder why you didn't join the pageant yourself," She glanced at her brother while still wearing her grin. "My brother and I would love to have you in our fashion house as model, wouldn't we Arata?"

Arata glanced at his sister then at Mikan. He stroked his silver hair and gave a weak nod, seemingly unable to speak.

"So what do you say?" Arisu asked with hopeful eyes as she giggled at her brother's reaction.

Mikan gave the twins an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry… but uh… you see I can't accept your offer. I kinda like keeping a low profile and being a model won't help me with that. Thank you anyways."

Arisu pouted cutely and gave Mikan a disappointed look. "Ok… but If you change your mind just tell us."

"Thanks Arisu. You too Akira," She flashed them one of her brightest smiles. Arata tinted with the slightest of red but his twin, once again, was able to notice it.

"Why don't I get us some drinks? I'll be back in a sec." Mikan walked nervously to the buffet table.

"Idiot"Hotaru mumbled to herself as she gazed at Mikan's retreating figure.

Ana and Nonoko sighed in relief.

"So… I'm glad you guys are here as well…" Yumiko sighed. "It's pretty boring here…"

"Hey, Yumiko. Where's Nobara and Permy?" Ana asked.

"Oh… Sumire didn't need to come 'coz her dad's here and Nobara is at the buffet table checking out the food," Arisu answered.

"B-buffet t-table?" Nonoko shook in fear. "The bu-buffet table that Mik- I mean K-kimi just went to…"

"Yeah… How many buffet tables do you think there are," Arisu didn't notice the distraught looks on Ana and Nonoko's faces.

---------o

At the buffet table…

"That. Was. Close." Mikan breathed a sigh of relief. "I better go get some punch," she immediately regained her cheeriness and smiled.

While getting some punch, she wasn't able to notice a pair of silver eyes gazing at her.

"**Mikan**-san," Nobara greeted her.

"Oh, Hi Nobara! I didn't know you were here as we-" Mikan paused when she realized something… _'Oh boy… Not again…'_

"Ahaha… Sorry Miss but do I know you?" She scratched the back of her head nervously.

"But you just said my name… Is something wrong Mikan-san?" Nobara tilted her head and shot an inquisitive gaze at Mikan.

"Mi-mikan? You must have mistaken me from someone else…"

Nobara shook her head, "I'd recognize your smile anywhere… You're Mikan-san!" She sighed and blushed a little bit, "I was kinda wondering when you'd remove that thing on your face."

"Aha… No… No… Wait a minute…" Mikan shook her head disbelievingly, "You knew?"

"Knew what?" Nobara asked.

"Ab-about what I really look like?"

"Well. At first I had my doubts but when I saw you smile a while ago I knew it was you…" Nobara smiled at Mikan. "Mikan-san has the cutest smile I've ever seen."

In an abrupt motion, Mikan took Nobara's hand in hers and bowed, "Please, you can't tell anyone about this… Even Yumiko and Arisu… Please"

"Uh… O-ok" Nobara replied, a little flustered. "B-but why?"

"I c-can't tell you… I-I'm sorry…" Mikan said, looking directly at Nobara and then averting her gaze.

Smiling, Nobara answered, "It's OK Mikan… I understand…"

"Thanks Nobara…" Mikan gave another sigh of relief. "Ok let's try this one more time…" She took a deep breath and smiled, "Hi miss! My name is Kimi Sakura. Nice to meet you! I'm Mikan Sakura's cousin, by the way."

Immediately understanding what Mikan meant Nobara giggled and just played along, "Hi Kimi. I'm Nobara Ibaragi. Nice to meet you too."

"Yumiko and Arisu are at Hotaru's table… I'll get the drinks and you can wait there," she ushered Nobara towards their table.

Nobara nodded and left. Mikan then wondered to herself as she got some punch, _'Who else knows what I really look like? Who else can see through my disguise?"_

---------o

Back at Hotaru's table…

"Hi," Nobara said shyly to Hotaru, Ana, and Nonoko.

"Uh… No-Nobara… Did you happen to see M-mi I mean Kimi at the buffet table?" Ana asked anxiously.

"Oh yeah… You mean Mikan's cousin… I saw her. She's getting some punch right now," Nobara smiled knowingly.

Ana and Nonoko sighed in relief. Hotaru already knew the whole story when she saw the way Nobara smiled. _'She knows…'_

--------o

"Natsume…"

"What is it Ruka?" Flipping the pages of the manga he brought, Natsume didn't even look at his best friend.

"I'm…" Ruka played with the unfinished spaghetti on his plate.

"Bored… I know…" Natsume finished for him.

"Can't we go and at least try to have fun…" Ruka complained.

"No one's stopping you… you can go and dance with whoever you like…" Natsume said as he flipped another page uncaringly.

Ruka glanced around and caught sight of a familiar auburn haired girl. _'The girl from the food court…'_ His shocked expression turned into one with a wicked smile, "Maybe I will have fun Natsume…"

He stood up and left Natsume at their table.

-------o

"Hm… Kimi sure is taking her time," Yumiko noticed.

"Maybe she's finally realized that she can't carry all our drinks and that there are actually waiters here to serve us," Hotaru said uninterestedly. She gazed around and saw a familiar raven-haired guy. _'Natsume Hyuuga…'_ her lips threatening to curve upwards, she stood up from her table and excused herself.

"I'll just go and check up on the idiot… You guys wait here," Hotaru lied. Wherever she was going, it spelled bad news for Mikan.

"Ok…"

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

-

Ruka grinned at the _fun_ he was about to have and he was sure that his best friend was also gonna enjoy himself. As he hummed the current music being played, he absentmindedly bumped into someone.

"Oof-… I'm very sorry. I wasn't looking and I- uh…" Ruka's mouth hung open as he saw a very familiar face.

"You know… If you keep your mouth open like that it'll surely attract flies…" the person said with much indifference.

"Hot-Hotaru? You're here too? I didn't see up until now…" Ruka stuttered.

"That's pretty much obvious…" she glanced at her best friend who was staring at nothing but space. She then gazed at the impassive Natsume Hyuuga, still flipping the pages of his manga. Ruka followed her gaze and smirked. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

With a little smile, she nodded and took his hand in hers, dragging him to who-knows-where.

-

-----------o

-

"Do you know what to do?" came a stoic voice from behind him.

"Yeah… How are the lights?" He asked.

"I've already rewired them. I'll be able to control them with this remote," she said as she brought out her remote.

"You sure are good at that."

"I know…" she stated. She gave him a microphone and looked at him straight in the eye, "Now go do your part… It's about time something interesting happened in this ball."

"Agreed," he bopped his head but paused when a question came into his mind, "Hey Horatu… I was kinda wondering… Why didn't your friend join the pageant? I thought for sure she was the one you were referring to back then when you said a friend of yours will join."

"She…" Hotaru paused thinking carefully of what to say, "…had other stuff to do. Besides, her cousin joined so she didn't have to,"

"Oh… so that's Mikan Sakura's cousin? I don't see the resemblance," He said honestly.

"They're cousins not sisters… They don't necessarily have to look alike…" She explained.

"I see…" Ruka glanced at Natsume and sighed, "Honestly, he sure is difficult… I set him up with thousands of girls but he can't seem to find the right one" Glancing at Hotaru, he continued, "Hopefully, both of your friends seem to have caught his interest…" He added, referring to _nerd girl_ and the girl from the food court.

Hotaru smiled knowingly at the fact that Ruka had been talking about the same girl without him even knowing it.

"Let's do this…"

O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'O'

-

"Tsk…" Natsume's patience was running thin. There was no way that he'll be able to stand another dull minute in this hotel. For the whole time he has been there, he had been resisting the urge to stand up and leave. Plus, he hated the tux he was wearing. At the back of his mind, he wished that something different would happen. And as if someone from above heard his silent prayers, something most certainly did happen.

The music died down—much to his relief—and was replaced by an eerie silence. The bright room was dimmed and only one spotlight was left to illuminate the place.

'_What's going on?'_

'_Must be some technical difficulties'_

The spotlight started roaming around and after a while it was joined by another spotlight.

"**Ladies and Gentlemen…"** a voice came out from the speakers.

'_That voice…'_ Natsume thought, _'Ruka…'_

He narrowed his eyes and glared at the only thing he could glare at… the spotlight.

"**We are now going to have our last dance… We will now select a couple to lead…"**

'_What is he up to?'_

"**And the **_**randomly**_** selected couple to lead the dance…"**

As the spotlight scanned the room accompanied by the sound of a drum roll, people couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

'_this is new…'_

'_I wonder who gets chosen…'_

'_I hope it's me…'_

Everyone was anxious to see what happens next… The spotlight scanned and scanned until…

"Darn it Ruka…" Natsume scowled as he shielded his eyes from the blinding spotlight.

"**Looks like we have our **_**randomly**_** selected leading man… And now for the lucky lady…"**

Squeals were heard throughout the room; each lady wanting the opportunity to dance with the handsome lad.

Mr. Hyuuga gazed at his son as his eyes danced with amusement. _Interesting…_

Aoi giggled at her brother, finding it funny that Ruka would do something to annoy his bestfriend. But, just as soon as their smiles graced their faces, both Mr. Hyuuga and Aoi frowned for they knew that Ruka's efforts to get Natsume to dance with a girl would be futile. _Nice try anyway…_

Natsume growled under his breath. There was no possible way that he would dance with any of the girls present there.

"**And our **_**random **_**lady…" **

Hotaru rolled her eyes. Ruka was being too obvious. She swore that if he ever emphasized the word _random_ again she would not hold back while firing her unique gun at him.

The spotlight scanned the room, blinding several people who looked directly at it. When it had finally stopped, Natsume's eyes widened as he gazed on the unsuspecting girl who seemed oblivious to all the attention.

----------------o

-

For the past few minutes, Mikan had done nothing but space out.

'_How long can I keep… hiding?'_ she shook her head and sighed.

"I better get these drinks there… I can't believe I've been zoning out again…" Mikan stopped on her tracks before she could even make one step away from the buffet table.

'_S-something's not right…'_

She hadn't notice the music stopping and the room dimming at all—up until now that is. Feeling the intense gaze of everyone in the room and the warmth the spotlight was providing for her, she shifted uncomfortably in her place. She took a graceful step forward hoping to avoid the blinding light but to no avail for it followed her every move.

She gulped. _'W-what's going on?'_

Two pairs of crimson eyes followed her every move intensely, both showed surprise evidently. _'It's her…'_ they both thought at the same time.

Aoi rubbed her crimson eyes in disbelief, _'She's here… the girl who saved my life…'_

Natsume's slightly parted lips curved into a devilish smirk. Slowly, he made his way towards her… causing Mr. Hyuuga to drop his jaw and Aoi to pinch herself hard to see if she was awake.

"No way…" Mikan whispered inaudibly as she saw the only other visible figure approaching her. Like her, he too was being followed by the spotlight. _'It's the jerk…'_

"**And the couple to lead the last dance… Let us all give way for them…"**

The crowd slowly parted leaving an open space at the center of the room.

"L-last dance? There must be a mistake… I-uh…" Mikan tried to protest.

"Hn," Natsume smirked at her. "If it isn't the little girl from the food court…"

Mikan glared "And if it isn't the jerk who-", realizing that the _jerk_ had no idea that she and _nerd girl_ are the same, she thought carefully of what to say, "Uh… who…"

"Who what?" he asked, amused by her flustered behavior.

"Who is a really big jerk!" she finished lamely.

"So I'm the jerk who is a really big jerk?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "That's stupid."

The crowd could do nothing but watch from the sidelines. None was really able to hear their conversation.

Natsume stretched out a hand in front of her while his other hand was stuffed in his pocket.

"W-what are you doing?" Mikan asked, staring at his hand as if it had seven fingers.

"We're supposed to dance, aren't we?" He replied, uncaringly.

She gazed at her surroundings. Although she could not see, she could feel the people watching. She sighed knowing that there really was nothing else she could do without embarrassing herself. Reluctantly, she took his hand and let him lead her to the center of the dance floor; the spotlights merging as she did so.

Draping his hand around her waist, he smirked at her, "I heard idiots don't know how to dance…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Hn," was his monosyllabic challenge.

She glared at him as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Having seen him clearly, she couldn't help but turn a little red when they both held their other hands.

"I can too dance I'll have you know…" She smirked and gave him a killer grip, taking him by surprise.

The music slowly started playing and Natsume took his first step, leading their dance.

"Whatever…" He replied with much indifference.

It was Mikan's turn move and follow Natsume's step. She gave him an innocent smile, causing him to feel his face go warm.

Follow she definitely did… In fact, she did so well in following his step that her foot landed exactly where his did. In other words: She. Stepped. On. His. Foot.

Her smirk turned into a frown when she saw that he didn't even wince from the pain. His face was still void of all emotions.

And so begins their unique dance step—Mikan _trying _to step on his foot and Natsume gracefully evading her toe-killing heels.

From the spectator's point of view, it looked like the dance between a princess and her prince from a fairytale. It definitely _looked_ that a fairytale was unfolding in front of them. Mikan is the princess and Natsume is the prince.

They could see the princess looking down at her feet, slightly shy and a little flushed about dancing with her prince for the first time. The prince was gently smiling down at the princess as he gracefully led their dance.

Now if only they knew better so they could tell reality from fiction.

The true reason that the princess was looking down at her feet was not shyness but because she was desperately trying to stomp on the prince's foot. And she was flushed because she couldn't succeed in crushing his toes.

The supposed _gentle smile_ that the prince was wearing was actually a mocking smirk to provoke the princess as he avoided being stepped on.

Sighing dreamily at what they falsely assumed to be a display of newly found affection, pair by pair the people at the crowd made their way to the dance floor to enjoy the last dance.

Mikan heaved a sigh of relief. Even though she didn't get to crush his feet she was glad because there were finally other people dancing so the attention was no longer solely on them. Finally, she could get away from the jerk.

But much to her dismay, the jerk wouldn't let go of her.

"Let go already… What's your problem? You can let go now…" She tried to push him away but to no avail.

"Strawberries, don't you want to dance more?" he asked nonchalantly though he was eagerly waiting for her reply.

'_He's calling me strawberries again?'_ "Pervert!" she balled her fist and raised it to show her irritation.

Natsume smirked. That was all he needed to hear…

"I don't like dancing with fan boys so if you don't mind I'd like you to let go of me."

He frowned. Surely she was kidding. There was no person on earth who would even dare to accuse him of being a fan boy. That would never happen for he was Natsume Hyuuga. He had fan girls not the other way around.

"I think you have it wrong, you…" he used his free hand to point a finger at her forehead, "You are the fan girl…"

She shot him an irritated look and then smirked, "Haven't I already proven to you that I'm no fan girl… besides, you're the one who keeps bugging me."

"I'm no fan boy" He said sternly as he continued to lead their 'foot-stepping' contest.

"Prove it," She dared him, her eyes looking unwaveringly at his.

"Are you sure about that, little girl?"

"Try me…"

Her eyes widened and her face flushed as he drew her body closer to his. Slowly he leaned over her that she could feel him breathing.

'_What is he doing? I-is he gonna k-kiss me?'_

She was planning to flip him over her back, one of the self-defense moves that she had learned, but her body remained stiff involuntarily. _'Move Mikan… W-what's w-wrong with you?' _Sadly, the only movement that her body provided was the slow unconscious closing of her eyes.'_Close your eyes and don't look into his... Yeah... I bet he's somekind of hypnotist or something... I won't give in you jerk!'_ Her brows furrowed as she tried to glare with her eyes close.

-

He smirked at her reactions. Unnoticed by the flustered brunette, his hand had reached for a glass of punch brought by a passing waiter and…

-

Gasps where heard across the room and all motions ceased… Ruka hit his head on the table… Hotaru shook her head… that was not in the plan…

'_No way… h-he didn't'_ Mikan hoped but sadly he **did. **Her lips were slightly parted while her eyes widened with shock. _'He poured some punch on me…'_

"I think I've proven my point…" he whispered to her ear, "… the same way you did"

Mikan could feel his lips slowly brush against her ear as he smirked. She felt her face warming up a little.

But Natsume wasn't done yet for he couldn't be seen pouring punch on some girl intentionally because his father was there and he also had to consider their corporation's name.

He dropped down on one knee and took one of Mikan's hands and kissed it. "My apologies… It appears that someone bumped into me and caused me to pour some punch on you. I do hope you can forgive me." He said loud enough for everyone to hear.

The ladies sighed and cooed thinking that they wouldn't mind to be in Mikan's situation right now. _Natsume Hyuuga is such a gentleman…_

The guys thought it was wrong for Natsume to take advantage of such a pretty girl. But in actuality, they just wanted to be the one to be able to kiss her hand like that.

Mikan's face darkened with a sickeningly sweet smile as she replied, "It's ok. Here let me get you a new drink." She casually took another glass of punch from the same waiter and…

"Oops!" she smirked as she got up."I tripped…"

Surprisingly, she was convincing to those who didn't know any better.

It was once again his turn to have his eyes widened. The punch hit him directly at his face. He glared at her and she glared back.

The two soaked figures glared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Their locked gazes were broken when Natsume casually shoved his hand in his pockets and leaned forward, whispering something to her ear. "See you tomorrow… _Sakura, Mikan_"

And with that he exited the Hotel, leaving Mikan dumbfounded…

Whether or not his guess was correct will have to wait for tomorrow… but right now the devastated look on her face was enough to assure him that he was most probably correct.

If anything, both Natsume and Mikan learned a valuable fact… _Revenge is a dish best served with punch…_

_-_

**To be continued…**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**-laughs maniacally then runs away-**_


	11. Double Vision

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Disclamer: Not mine. Or is it?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, 17 yrs. old is one the world's richest person and is heir to a world renowned business corporation. He's a genius and he's the country's hottest bachelor. You can say he already has everything, too bad he doesn't. His father, who wants to find the perfect girl for him, sponsors a beauty pageant open to all girls who are interested. What's this? Natsume is a judge and he doesn't know what his dad has in stored for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-

**Chapter 10 Double Visionf**

**-**

_Natsume Hyuuga…_

-

There are many terms that can be associated with the name. These terms vary depending on how a person views the owner of the said name. For instance:

_Hot, Handsome, Cool, Sexy…_ These are words that fan girls scream to the heavens at the sight of him.

_Intelligent, reliable, dependable…_ This is how business associates and employees view him as.

_A prodigy, the heir of the most powerful business empire, and a perfect example of what a man should be…_ This was the general conception of him.

In totality, the number of positive adjectives in the dictionary would not be enough to describe Natsume Hyuuga so everyone would settle to describe his totality with one word… _**perfect.**_

One person begs to disagree… unless of course _**perfect**_ meant something different as in _**perfect**__ punching bag, __**perfect **__target practice, _or _**perfect**__ crash-test dummy… _Then yes, said someone would completely agree.

_-_

_Natsume Hyuuga…_

-

There are many terms that could be associated with the name. And for one very agitated Mikan Sakura, the words are as follows:

_Stupid, arrogant, perverted, pokerfaced, jerk _and much much more…

-

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-

Even though he wasn't one for flavored drinks, he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from moving upwards despite the fact that he was practically soaking wet with ice cold punch. He entered the limousine and sat himself comfortably as he waited for his family and his bestfriend to arrive.

Victory is so sweet. And what was he feeling so victorious about? He was finally able to teach the little girl a lesson for making him look like a fool that one time in the food court. No one messes with Natsume Hyuuga and gets away with it. Now, as he recalled her shocked expression, he suddenly felt all smug about himself because he was able to make her gape like an idiot at him like a fan girl—though her reasons for gaping are totally different.

He paused for a split second as a thought ran across his mind. They weren't even after all. She poured cold beverage on him _**twice**_ making him gape at her _**twice**_ and making him look twice the idiot she is. _Interesting_. No matter, he's sure he'll see her at the pageant tomorrow. Mikan Sakura.

In front of the limousine, the driver couldn't help but feel the different aura his master was omitting. Before he arrived, Natsume looked like he'd rather murder someone, preferably himself, rather than to go to some stupid ball. Now it seems as if all the negativity has dissolved and was replaced by thorough… amusement. Curious, the driver asked, "So how was the ball young master? Found anyone that interested you?"

Without averting his gaze from the window, he smirked and muttered, "Maybe…"

-

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-

"Well… That went uhm… I'm not sure how it went. What do you think?" He asked confusedly while staring at the soaked figure being assisted by her friends.

"How do you think it went? They poured punch on each other," She said as she gently shook her head. She was curious as to what _the_ Natsume Hyuuga whispered to her bestfriend to make her gape at him. "I'm going to check on the idiot."

"Well, Ok then. See you tomorrow at the pageant Hotaru," Ruka said as she nodded and left him. He sighed and began searching for Mr. Hyuuga and Aoi.

-

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-

"It was a nice and valiant effort Ruka. I didn't even think he'd dance with her," Mr. Hyuuga was rarely amazed but now, there was no way to describe the bewilderment his son's behavior is causing him.

"Yeah… Brother actually looked like he enjoyed himself. Plus, the girl was really pretty." Aoi looked at their limousine and found her brother already seated inside.

When they have all entered the limousine, silenced washed over them as they all stared at Natsume incredulously.

Ruka was the first to break the silence by faking a cough.

"So… How was the dance?" he asked, his blue eyes hopeful and excited.

Natsume showed no emotion on his face and didn't even bother to look at him. "Hn"

"Well, I'm not sure how you young people work. I guess things really do change overtime. Back in my days, we had to use pick-up lines and compliments to show the other that you're interested. Now, pouring beverages onto each other seems to be the new thing," Mr. Hyuuga commented wryly while shaking his head.

"Don't you think you went a little bit too far, Natsume?" Ruka eyed him amusedly. "You must really fancy her then."

Natsume just shrugged. There was no way that he'll ever bring himself into ever liking a girl. Never. She just amuses him and nothing else.

"Well I like her…" Aoi glanced at her brother and asked, "Do you know her name, brother?"

Natsume pondered for a moment. He sort of did but he still had to confirm it. He shrugged and shook his head much to his sister's obvious disappointment.

"Oh…" Aoi bent her head down and sighed. Natsume just eyed her and said nothing. The rest of their trip home was silent, except for the occasional business calls Mr. Hyuuga would receive.

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

"Kimi, are you okay?" Nobara asked worriedly. They were still at the Ball and Mikan has been zoning out since Natsume Hyuuga exited.

Anna and Nonoko glanced at each other worriedly. _What's wrong with her?_

"Uhm… I'm o-okay" Mikan blinked and sighed.

"I can't believe that you poured punch on each other…" Arisu said, her silver eyes twinkling with mischief. "Well… I guess Natsume Hyuuga isn't that much of a gentleman. Unlike my **brother** here… Don't you think so Kimi?"

Arata could feel his nerve's twitching. His sister was interfering with his life again.

"What do you mean? It was an accident, wasn't it?" Yumiko asked

"Well, only one way to find out… Let's ask Kimi! So was it an accident? Was it? Was it? Huh? Huh?" Arisu beamed.

Mikan laughed nervously and said, "O-f course it was an accident," Mikan never did like lying but she did for a number of reasons. The first being that she wouldn't want to explain why they poured punch on each other purposely and another reason is because she wasn't one to destroy a person's image—especially to people who might like said person. Besides, maybe Natsume Hyuuga was only a jerk to her. It certainly seemed that way.

"Let's go," Hotaru said when she arrived.

They said their goodbyes and Mikan, Anna, and Nonoko followed Hotaru out.

"Kimi sure is pretty huh brother?" Arisu asked as he caught his brother's gaze following Mikan's retreating form.

Absentmindedly, Arata muttered, "Hm"

Arisu snickered and Yumiko and Nobara couldn't help but giggle at the situation as well. Arata snapped out of his trance and flicked a finger on Arisu's forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" She whined. "You like her and you know it!"

Arata sighed. "Stop being brat and let's go home."

Yumiko and Nobara shared amused glances at the bickering siblings.

"Fine" Arisu said. _'But she is sooo going to be your girlfriend'_

Hence the formation of the _get-my-brother-a-girlfriend_ plan, Arisu Akira style.

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

The limousine halted just in front of the Hyuuga Mansion. Ruka was already dropped off at his place and Mr. Hyuuga had a lot of paperwork to attend to so the two siblings were left outside.

"What's bothering you now?" Natsume asked, hands in his pocket and looking intently at her.

"Brother… Remember the girl who saved my life?"

"The one who got run over by the truck?"

"Well, I think I found her," She smiled at her brother.

His brow rose as he asked, "Where is she then?"

"She's the girl you danced with," Aoi grinned. _'And your new future girlfriend'_

Natsume's lips parted slightly with surprise.

Aoi'sOperation: M-T-G-W-S-M-L-M-F-S-I-L which is short for _make-the-girl-who-saved-my-life-my-future-sister-in-law_ has now commenced.

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

"Are you ready for tomorrow, brother?" Yumi asked worriedly.

"Of course. I'll finally tell her how I really feel" Yuri answered determinedly.

"You know, Faye still wants you and she might hurt Mikan again."

"I know. But this time I won't let her. I won't let anyone hurt her… Not even me."

"I'm proud of you brother," Yumi looked as just as determined in repairing her friendship with Mikan. She glanced at her brother. _You'll soon be a couple don't worry…_

And so begin's Yumi's _repair-friendship-and-restore-love_ mission.

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

"Hotaru where are we going?" Nonoko asked. They were currently inside a cab.

"You're all sleeping over at my house. I already called your parents. Don't worry about clothes, you can have some of mine. I haven't used some of them," Hotaru shifted her gaze to Mikan."Besides, I bet we'll have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, Mikan! What did Hyuuga say to you?" Anna asked curiously.

Mikan felt her throat go dry, "Uhm… Guys, he knows who I am."

"HE WHAT?" Anna and Nonoko chorused. Hotaru was silent but the aura she emitted screamed murder.

"How?" Hotaru calmly asked.

"Well… I don't know myself,"

"Think Mikan. There must have been something you said," Anna insisted. They can't afford anyone especially a judge knowing she faked her appearance.

Mikan thought hard and then it suddenly struck her.

"**Strawberries, don't you want to dance more?" he asked nonchalantly though he was eagerly waiting for her reply.**

'_**He's calling me strawberries again?'**_** "Pervert!" she balled her fist and raised it to show her irritation.**

**Natsume smirked. That was all he needed to hear…**

"I t-told him myself…" Mikan hit her head with one of her palms.

"What? How?"

"I called him a pervert! I'm not supposed to call him a pervert. He's never done anything perverted to me… only to nerd girl!" Mikan said frantically. She was tensed. That jerk would definitely use this to make her life miserable.

"Calm down Mikan. We can still do something about this," Hotaru's gaze was stern indicating she was deep in thought. "If what you say is true and that's all the basis he has, then we can definitely convince him otherwise."

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

Hotaru's Mansion

"So let me get this straight. You're asking me to go as myself tomorrow at the pageant? Me. As in as me not nerd girl," Mikan asked Hotaru for the third time that night.

"Exactly"

"Are you mad? What if Faye sees me? She'll definitely recognize me! And how will that help?"

"Let me make the plan simpler. Pay attention," Hotaru turned towards the drawing board and pointed at different figures drawn there. "The principle behind our plan is that no same person can be at two places at the same time. If Hyuuga sees you both tomorrow, he'll have to conclude that you two are different people."

**PLAN 001: Operation Seeing Double**

**Assignments**

**Mikan**- will be going as Kimi Sakura, nerd girl's cousin.

**Anna**- will go as Mikan Sakura, aka nerd girl.

**Nonoko**- will stay with Anna so Hyuuga won't get a chance to talk to her and she won't get to blow her cover.

I will get Hyuuga's attention so he would see Nerd girl and Kimi both at the same time.

**Commencement**

**1** Anna disguises herself as Mikan Sakura

**2** Mikan goes as Kimi

**3** Someone distracts Faye and Yumi

**4** I get Hyuuga's attention

**5** Hyuuga sees Anna as nerd girl talking animatedly with Nonoko. At the same time he also sees Kimi

**6** Kimi explains to Hyuuga that the only reason she called him a pervert is because her cousin told her all about him.

**7** Hyuuga hits hit head on a wall for being such an idiot

**8** Anna removes her disguise and Mikan puts it on just in time for the pageant

-

"Is the plan clear?" Hotaru asked.

"Uhm… ok… Not that I don't like the plan or anything, in fact I love it especially the 7th part but won't anyone notice Anna isn't me?" Mikan wondered.

"No. No one recognizes you with the disguise on so no one would recognize her too. She'll wear amber contact lenses and those glasses. I've already prepared a wig she could wear. We'll stick it with water soluble glue as well as the fake skin. She'll look just like you as nerd girl"

"Ok. Who's gonna distract Faye and Yumi?" Nonoko asked.

"I haven't thought that part out yet," Hotaru looked at Mikan, "If we were to include someone else in this plan, that person will have to know your secret. Know anyone we could trust?"

"Oh! I know! Let Koko do it! Come on! He's the only guy I get along with besides Yuu. I just know we can trust him," Mikan excitedly suggested. "Come on Anna! Call your boyfriend! Hurry! You too Nonoko call Yuu!"

"Uhm… about that guys. We broke up already," Anna said neutrally. She wasn't sad or anything.

"Huh? Why? You've only been going out for a week! And you get along so well!" Mikan really liked Koko because he didn't judge her for her looks like the rest.

"Well we had more of a brother-sister thing. We played pranks on each other and we joked a lot. We could never really move into anything serious without letting go of all the goofing around. Since that was what brought us together in the first place we just couldn't so we decided that it would be better for us to be just friends. Besides, I like him better as a brother so we get to do pranks together and mostly on each other," Anna brought out her cellphone, "But I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help you out Mikan so I'll call him."

"Oh. Well, as long as we're all still friends then it's all the same to me," Mikan smiled.

"Tell Yuu and Koko to come over here early tomorrow so we could brief them about our plans," Hotaru paused, "and for them to get over the shock once they see how Mikan really looks like."

-

* * *

-

The next day…

Mikan could barely sleep at all. She didn't sleep at all. How was she to sleep? She is about to reveal her identity to two of her few friends. Today is the first day of the pageant and she's so nervous about their _plan_ she could faint. And she wished she'd just faint just so she won't have to go through any of the things she has to go through today.

"Calm down Mikan. Koko and Yuu are here…" Anna said. Mikan was in Hotaru's room hugging her knees close to her for comfort.

"Whaddup?" came a very familiar voice. "Is specks there?" _Specks_. That was the nickname that Koko uses to call her.

"Is Mikan-san there?" That had to be Yuu with him. Mikan buried her face in her pillow. "I'm p-here. P-come h-in…"

"I can't understand you specks. What did you call us for?" Koko walked towards, his hands behind his head. "Specks?"

"Uhm… What's with the pillow Mikan-san?" Judging by the clarity of Yuu's voice, Mikan could tell they were standing right in front of her.

"Mff immph," was her muffled reply.

Koko looked at Anna for answers but she just shrugged at him and mouthed '_Find out for yourself'_

Hotaru and Nonoko shook their heads at the drama unfolding. "Just show them Mikan"

"Show us what?" Koko scratched the back of his head. What is it? Did Mikan finally allow all the insults to get to her and got plastic surgery as Luna and her goons suggested?

Mikan slowly lowered her pillow and anticipated their reactions.

Yuu's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "Who are you? You're not Mikan-san!"

"Holy cow! You really did get plastic surgery!" Koko gripped her by the shoulders and shook her non-too-gently, "I told you not to listen to them! You were fine just the way you were!" Koko reexamined her face and added, "Though I have to admit this new face would probably give Luna a heart attack and it's not bad at all."

Mikan rolled her eyes and asked. "Are you done yet?"

"Yeah. I'm good. Though I still think you were fine just the way you were."

"Ok. Truth time. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before but now that I need your help, I at least owe to you to tell you the whole truth," Mikan began but was interrupted.

"Oh! Can I have popcorn while I listen?"

"Fine"

-

-

After a couple of moment's of talking for Mikan's part and a whole lot of popcorn munching in Koko's case, Yuu and Koko agreed to help with the plan.

"Wow. Isn't it convenient that the pageant semi-finals is being held during our Christmas break?" Koko wondered out loud. He was watching the girls as they transformed Anna into nerd girl.

"Maybe the Hyuuga Corporation, strategically made it that way," Yuu suggested.

"So… You do this transform thing every morning before you go to class?" Koko was clearly amazed at the _transformation_.

"Pretty much," Mikan shrugged.

"There done!" Nonoko wiped an invisible sweat off her face and nodded in satisfaction with her work. "No one would be able to tell the difference"

"Everyone get ready. We have to get there early."

"Finally. I was getting bored!" Koko stood up and did some stretching. "Let's do it then…"

-

-

**Northern Park**

Mikan and her friends were inside Hotaru's limousine. They were checking out the place where the pageant would be held. When they arrived they saw a lot of people surrounding the set. Some were there as fans, some were protesting about the pageant.

"What are all those protests about?" Mikan wondered curiously.

"A lot of people view pageants as oppression against women," Hotaru replied curtly.

"Really…" Mikan pondered on the thought for a while. _Why?_ She never really viewed pageants as anything. After all, besides her, every contestant joins because of their own free will.

The protesters threw rotten vegetables at the vehicles of the other contestants.

"_Boo! Down with this pageant!"_

"_No to sexism!"_

"_Everyone can be beautiful!"_

What surprised Mikan was the fact that the protestors were actually cheering her on. Well, they were cheering nerd girl.

"_Yeah! You show them girl!"_

"_Anyone can be deemed beautiful!"_

Those who supported the pageant just threw glares and disapproving looks at their direction.

"_It's the Sakura girl…"_

"_The nerve of her entering something so prestigious"_

Mikan was glad they were already inside the park vicinity which was off limits to those without passes.

Anna fidgeted in her seat. _So this is what Mikan feels when she dresses like this…_

When they confirmed that it was safe for them to leave the limousine, they surveyed the area and started to commence their plans. Within the park, there was a stage, probably for the performances. Behind the stage was where the contestants were to rendezvous and since they were early, only the judges were there. Each contestant had a designated trailer for wardrobe and make-up. There were a lot of camera crew and a snack table. Everything needed in a production set was there.

Koko walked over to the snack table to well… eat some snacks. He checked the picture given to him. Nope… No sign of this Faye girl he was suppose to distract.

The rest of the gang had already assumed their positions. Hotaru gave them micro-communicators stuck behind their ears in case the need arises. Now they just had to wait for the target. Natsume Hyuuga.

"_Nonoko here, I don't see Hyuuga"_

"_Mikan?"_

"_Nope. No sign of jerkface anywhere"_

"_Yuu here. I think I see him and he's alone. He's headed towards Anna and Nonoko's spot."_

"Perfect. Commence Operation Seeing Double," Hotaru smirked.

-

-

Natsume still couldn't believe what his sister told him. She was the one who saved his sister all along. Maybe he should be nicer to her… Yeah. Natsume being nice to a girl, Riiight. Speaking of girls, it was time to test his conclusion. He scanned the area for a certain auburn haired girl and smirked when he found her talking to that blue-haired friend of hers.

Hotaru's blank gaze landed on Natsume's back. It was time for her to call his attention so he'd notice Mikan (the real one).

"Hyuuga," She called out to him.

Natsume turned around to see who had called him. He stared at her boredly waitng for her to say something.

"Where's Nogi?"

That's right this was Ruka's creepy girlfriend. Hotaru Imai. "Don't know," he replied impassively.

Hotaru nodded and swiftly turned around to go to where Mikan was. She knew Natsume was still watching her and it was a perfect way to get him to notice Mikan without raising any suspicions. Natsume is a genius after all so they had to make this plan elaborate

Natsume watched as the inventor moved away from him. That was when he noticed another auburn haired girl. His eyes widened and he looked sideways to see if the other girl was still there as well. Much to his surprise, they were both there. Now, how was that possible? He needed an explanation.

Mikan couldn't prevent the triumphant smile from gracing her lips when she saw Natsume's obvious confusion. For a minute she thought about just leaving him like that so he'd go crazy but she still had a heart so she decided to just stick with the plan.

She waved at him and greeted, "Hey Jerkface!"

-

-

Koko was still at the buffet table eating free snacks. He was non-too-silently humming the _Mission Impossible_ tune to himself. When asked by Yuu, he simply stated that it was his way of getting into the mood for the _mission_. Yuu was on lookout for Faye and Yumi.

'_Koko I think I see them!'_

"Mission time…" Koko grinned.

-

-

"I'm so glad you came to watch me Yuri!" Faye cooed.

Yumi rolled her eyes. This wasn't good. If Faye keeps clinging onto her brother like this, their plan won't ever take place.

"Whatever," was Yuri's bored reply. His green eyes were searching for that familiar auburn hair.

Koko slowly made his way towards them. "Hey there sexy ladies!" Koko looked at Yuri and wondered to himself, _'Who on earth is this guy? Well, he's not part of the plan so I guess it doesn't matter'_

"I'm the instructor and I'm here to instruct you on the happenings here," Koko said confidently with a goofy grin on his face.

'_Perfect,'_ Yumi thought. "Let's go Faye. This will give us an advantage over the other contestants who aren't here yet" Yumi gave her brother a meaningful glance. _Now's your chance._

"I'll just go to the bathroom. I'll just catch up with you girls," Yuri nodded and left.

"Bye Yuri! Find me soon 'kay?" Faye sighed, "let's go then."

Koko shrugged. _'He isn't important anyway, right?'_ "Well first let's have a tour. This is the snack table…"

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

"What's the matter Hyuuga?" Mikan looked really smug right now. "I can't believe you mistook me for my cousin."

"Tsk," Natsume was way passed annoyed right now.

"She told me all about you, ya' know. Being a pervert and all," Mikan smirked. She could win an Oscar for this act.

"Okay then. What's your real name?" Natsume asked calmly. He should at least get her name for Aoi's sake. Although he's suspicions are not entirely erased, he had no choice but to buy her story since he had nothing else to prove that they are the same—nothing except a strong feeling. Besides, he couldn't find a flaw in her explanation.

"It's Kimi Sakura, Mikan's cousin," Mikan smiled at him and extended her hand. _Maybe now he'll be nicer to her?_

"Hn," He had to admit, she has a very beautiful smile but she was still annoying. He just nodded and ignored her extended hand.

"Hmph. Jerk!" Mkian huffed and turned away.

Natsume smirked. She was cute as well. But she'd have to be crazy to believe that he's thoroughly convinced with her story. After all, he's not called a genius for nothing. He didn't miss the fact that one of her friends seems to be missing.

'_Operation successful guys' _Mikan whisphered loud enough only for the communicator to intercept.

-

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

"Well that ends our tour ladies… I've got to go. It's my break time already. Bye!" Koko waved as he took off towards the snack table. He left Faye and Yumi at Faye's trailer making sure they'd stay there long enough for Mikan to switch back to nerd girl.

Anna and Nonoko were already in Mikan's trailer waiting for her to return.

"_By the way, Koko… Who was that guy with that Faye girl a while ago?" _Yuu asked curiously through the communicator. He was at a far distance where he could spot everyone's locations and be a lookout.

Hotaru froze. _'What guy?' _She asked. She was the one controlling the communicators so she could hear each of them.

'_Oh. The guy the Faye girl was clinging to? Yuri was it?'_ Koko gaped. _'He was Yuri Fuji? The athlete? I should have gotten an autograph… Aw men…'_

'_Focus Koko. That was the same Yuri we went to school with. She'll recognize Mikan. Yuu where is he right now?' _Hotaru scanned her surroundings to look for him.

'_He's near Mikan!'_

_-_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

-

"I can't believe the nerve of that jerk," Mikan walked over to one of the trailers where she spotted Arata Akira leaning against. She was about to greet him when her name was called.

'_Mikan get out of there, whatever you do don't turn around'_ She hear Hotaru's voice from the communicator.

"What? Wh-" She didn't get to finish because her name was called again. _I know that voice…_

"M-mikan…"

_I know that voice…_

-

-

**To be continued…**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


End file.
